Unforgettable
by Celtic Cat
Summary: Number eight in the Spike and Rose series. What is the fang gang to do when one of the PTB's has amnesia? Please, read and review. Now complete.
1. These Our Players

I do not, repeat, do not own the characters from either Angel or Buffy. Rose and the twins are mine, the occasional villain and demon. The rest, heavy sigh, belong to the great and powerful Joss.

Unforgettable

These Our Players

"Mummy doesn't do it that way."

Spike sighed and leaned his head against the wall. If he had a nickel for every time he'd heard that phrase this past week, he reflected, he could probably buy the whole bloody building, complete with employees. God, he missed Rose. This past week had seemed like an eternity. He vowed then and there that he wasn't having any more of these little jaunts. He didn't care that it was business related, or who broke what. He was going to put his foot down. The man of the house. From now on, Rose was going to stay where she belonged. He had lost track of what he was doing though, as he let his thoughts wander. Ariel reminded him.

"Daddy, the oatmeal's boiling over." She smiled sweetly at him, but Spike could swear that he could detect a slight hint of malice in his daughter's expression as well. "Mummy turns the heat down when it starts bubbling. Then, it doesn't boil over."

Spike looked helplessly to his son, for what, he wasn't sure. Maybe just a little moral support.

Alaric sat back in his chair and smirked at his father. And for the first time, Spike understood just why so many people wanted to hit him.

&&&&&&

"Please stop fussing, Fred," Wesley begged. "I broke my leg, not my head."

"No," Fred replied. "I think you broke your head first." She went over to the sofa where Wes was ensconced, cast and all, and snuggled herself carefully onto his lap. "Honey, you're just going to have to admit one of these days that you're not as young as you used to be, and you just can't keep up with Angel and Spike."

"And Val," Wesley reminded her, just a little bitterly. "Let's not forget any of the forever young brigade." He put his arms around her, more out of reflex than anything.

Fred pulled a pout. "I thought you said that you wanted to 'grow old along with me'," she said. "Did you change your mind when I wasn't looking?"

"No, of course not, darling," Wes replied, a little shamefaced. He kissed her cheek, and was moving to work his way to her mouth when she turned to look him in the eye.

"Then stop going on demon hunts with Spike," she snapped. "And stay in research where you belong."

&&&&&&&&

Rose looked out the airplane window, longing for the moment when the plane would land and she could set her dainty feet back on the pavement of L.A. The Watcher's conference had been very interesting, for the most part, and Giles had gone out of his way to make sure that she felt welcome. But she missed Spike and the children so much. A week was simply too long to spend away from them all. When she got back, she thought, she'd give Wesley another lecture on just how stupid he'd been to break his leg, thereby forcing her to take his place. Never again, she silently vowed. Interesting though the trip had been, from now on, she intended to stay at home with the people she loved.

&&&&&&&

Richard McDaniels spared a glance at his seat mate. Distractingly pretty, obviously not the least bit nervous about flying, but for the several hours that had comprised their trip, he hadn't been able to get anything out of her other than the briefest of replies to his questions.

He frowned. He didn't usually have this much trouble making an impression. He decided to give it one last try.

"Anxious to get home?" Richard waited several seconds to allow the information to sink in to, Rose, he had at least learned her name.

Rose turned towards him and gave him a nearly natural smile. "Very much so," she replied. "I've been away a whole week."

"A whole week?" Richard echoed teasingly. "That's almost long enough to notice that you've been gone."

"I've never been away from my husband and children for so long." Rose's dimples appeared, but her eyes flicked back towards the window, as though afraid that if she didn't keep a sharp lookout, they'd never reach their destination.

Richard had difficulty concealing his shock. "Married, I can believe, just," he finally managed to say. "But children? Plural?"

"They are twins," Rose answered, but then gave the knife another twist. "They've just turned seven."

Richard's jaw fell open, and he completely forgot tact and spoke his mind. "How old were you when they were born? Twelve?"

Rose smiled weakly. Her not aging kept her in step with Spike, but not with the majority of the populace. Most of the time it didn't occur to her, since she worked among people who knew and didn't particularly boggle at it. Now, she was beginning to see that out in the 'real' world, it could create certain problems too.

&&&&&&&

"You're sure you don't want to take the day off?" Angel asked as Spike methodically beat him back with a series of lightning quick strikes of his staff. Spike had been mopping the floor with him all week, and Angel felt that he could use a respite.

"She don't get home till late tonight," Spike replied, not bothering to explain who 'she' was. Angel knew. "I don't much fancy hanging round the place till I have to. 'Sides, Oz said something about giving the kids exams today."

Angel's interest picked up. He was always ready to hear news about his godchildren. "What grade?" he asked curiously. Aside from being telepathic, the twins were so incredibly intelligent that it came as a shock to some people when they actually acted like kids.

Spike shrugged, but didn't let it slow down his relentless attack. "Only the fourth," he answered. "Oz said something about not wanting to bring them along too fast. Some muck about keeping them from being too far ahead of their age group when they do go to school. Don't much see the use of them going to school anyway."

Angel sighed, but didn't let it stop him from dodging a blow from the staff. "Spike, I know you've heard it from Rose," he commented. "And probably from everyone else as well. They do need to go to school. They need to learn to relate to kids their own age. How to get along with people who don't work at Wolfram and Hart."

"And I am bloody well sick of people telling me how to raise my kids," Spike snapped. "Can't see that they need all that crap anyway. They do have destiny working for them."

"That doesn't mean that you shouldn't be doing everything in your power to prepare them to deal with it," Angel pressed, making a careful, strategic retreat. On the practice room floor, not the argument. "The prophecy is just there to tell them who they are and what they're supposed to do. They didn't come pre-programmed. They have to learn. And the best place for them is in school."

"Maybe," Spike almost conceded. "But not just yet. I want them old enough to be able to defend themselves against..,"

"Their teachers? Their classmates?" Angel supplied. "Spike, people send kids younger than Alaric and Ariel to school every day, with nothing happening to them. And since you brought it up when Rose was drinking blood, do you think The Powers would let anything happen to the instruments of their own prophecy?"

Spike, in a fury over having his own arguments turned against him answered with a new volley of attacks, until Angel was driven across the room and into a position that his only option was to yield. Or, find a way to distract Spike.

"Want me to take the kids tomorrow so you can be alone with Rose?" he offered.

Spike hesitated. And barely evaded Angel's counterstrike.

"Well?" Angel prompted. He kept pressing, even though he hadn't gained the advantage, just a brief reprieve. But he would be happy to take the kids anytime.

"Could you make it Sunday?" Spike asked. It was obvious that it was a difficult decision for him to make. "I'd love to have her to myself right as soon as she got home, but it wouldn't be fair to the kids. They've missed her too."

"Sunday it is," Angel agreed. He took another swing which Spike ducked, then just barely dodged Spike's next attack. The whole week he'd been fighting like he'd meant it. "I'll be glad when Rose gets back."

&&&&&&&

A freak breeze parted the smog for a moment, and Rose's eyes misted over. "I can see home," she murmured, half to herself.

"Where's home?" Richard asked politely. He'd made zero progress, and he was more than somewhat put out, even given Rose's marital status. She not only was attractive, but he felt that she had the potential to be the perfect show wife. Just the sort of window dressing an up and rising young political hopeful could use.

"Over there." Rose pointed, and Richard leaned over across her, following the direction her finger was pointing and squinting his eyes.

"All I see is the Wolfram and Hart building," he muttered. "Are you sure that you're pointing in the right direction?"

"That's where I live," Rose replied. "In the Wolfram and Hart building." She saw him look at her with a question in his eyes and before he could ask, just said, "It's a long story."

&&&&&&

The flight attendant had stopped at the seat in front of Richard and Rose. "I'm sorry sir," she said quietly. "But you really do need to turn off your laptop."

"I'm busy," the man muttered, without looking up from his computer screen.

"Sir," the flight attendant said with a sigh. "Your computer could interfere with the operation of the plane's computers. Regulations state that it has to be turned off."

"Get out of my face before I sue the company," the oaf growled.

The flight attendant gave up for the moment, but returned shortly with the co-pilot.

There followed a heated argument, a brief tussle, and just when it seemed as though the co-pilot was about to prevail, the creep gave his property an extra vicious jerk and yanked it out of the co-pilot's hands. He had too much momentum going, however, and the laptop continued on its current trajectory. Over the back of the seat to wallop Rose soundly on the head.

&&&&&&&

Spike fumed, and almost literally had to bite his tongue to keep from swearing out loud in front of the children. What with trying to get things cleaned up after the near disaster dinner had been (disaster in this case would have been having to call the fire department), they were already running late to get to the airport to pick up Rose. Then, once he'd hit the road, thinking to make up for lost time, wouldn't you just know that he had to get caught waiting because of a fifteen car pile up?

Sodding L.A.

&&&&&&&&

She tried to sit up, but a gentle pair of hands held her down.

"Just take it easy for a few," a masculine voice advised her. She turned her head to see close-cropped light brown curls, eyes so light brown that they were nearly amber, and tanned, rugged good looks. "You took quite a shot to the head there."

"I did?" She raised a hand to her head and felt a large bump. And pulled her hand back quickly, because it was still quite tender. "Ow, I guess I did." She looked up at him quizzically. "Who are you?"

"Richard McDaniels," he replied, puzzled. He knew he'd told her his name. "Don't you remember?"

She started to shake her head, then stopped abruptly, because it hurt. Another questioning look. "Who am I?"

Richard's eyes nearly popped out of his head, but he kept his cool and thought fast. "Why, you're my wife, Lily."

&&&&&&&

Spike checked the time. Damn! They were over an hour and a half late. What must Rose be thinking?

"I don't see mummy anywhere," Alaric informed him.

"It's a big airport," Spike said evenly. He was trying to reign it in, but he'd have thought that Rose would be pacing near the exit, waiting for them.

"Me too, daddy," Ariel murmured, slipping her hand in his, replying to what he had not spoken. "I can't find her anywhere either."

Spike looked down at his daughter and realized that she wasn't referring to a visual search. "Nowhere in the airport?" he asked slowly, trying to stem the tide of horrible images that began racing through his mind.

"No." Alaric shook his head. "We'd know mummy's mind anywhere, no matter how many people are around."

"She's not here, daddy," Ariel confirmed. "Where do you think mummy has gone?"

Spike sat down in the nearest seat and buried his face in his hands for a moment. He didn't want to do it, he really did not want to do this. But he couldn't think of any way out of it. He pulled out a cell phone, Rose's, as it happened, and reluctantly began dialing Angel's number.

&&&&&&&&

Richard opened the door to his condo. "Here we are, sweetie. Home at last."

She looked around curiously. "How come I don't remember this?" The place looked positively alien to her. Surely she'd recognize her own home. Wouldn't she?

Richard came up behind her and wrapped his arms around her. "You haven't been here before, Lily," he informed her. "We met in England, and married there. This is my home in L.A. You've never been here before. We've just gotten here after our honeymoon."

She had already preceded him into the bedroom and opened a closet door. "Is that why there are only your clothes here?"

He closed the closet doors. "Your things got lost in shipping," he lied smoothly. "But not to worry, Lily, darling. I'll buy you a whole new wardrobe. Consider it a wedding present from your loving husband."

She turned a smile on him. "You're so good to me, Richard."


	2. Home is the Traveler?

Home is the Traveler?

"Calm down, Spike," Angel advised. His words lacked conviction, however, since he couldn't imagine an innocuous reason for Rose to be missing either.

"Bugger that." Spike stood so abruptly that the chair he had been sitting in toppled over. "I've been over the entire ruddy airport from top to bottom half a dozen times. No sign of her, but I found her bags in the unclaimed luggage. And the kids couldn't find her mind anywhere."

"Too many people?" Angel suggested weakly. He was grasping at straws, and he knew it.

"That's what mucked up her scent, you dumb git," Spike snapped. "The kids know what the inside of her head looks like, so to speak. And they couldn't bloody find her anywhere in the airport either."

At the mention of them, Angel looked down at his godchildren. Despite the fact that he and Spike had made no attempt to modulate their tones, the twins were crashed. It was late, and it had been a long, stressful day. Week, he amended silently. They weren't used to being apart from their mother.

"We're not going to accomplish anything more here then," he remarked. "Why don't we get the kids home to bed?"

Spike was almost of a mood to argue simply for argument's sake. But a glance at his offspring stilled his tongue, and he picked up his daughter, stopping long moments to gaze at her innocently sleeping face, so like her mother's.

Angel sighed, picked up Alaric's limp form and headed for the nearest exit.

&&&&&&&

"I'm sorry, Richard," she said. "But I am very tired. Besides, it somehow doesn't seem right, when I can't remember being with you before. It would be like sleeping with someone I just met."

Richard heaved a long-suffering sigh, and reluctantly released the woman he held in his arms. "Are you saying that you'd like to sleep apart until you get your memory back, hon?" he asked, trying to inject a note of desperation into his voice.

She flushed slightly, but the clear, gray eyes remained calm. "If you wouldn't mind, sweetie," she said apologetically. "It just really, really doesn't feel right."

"You win, baby," Richard conceded. "But if you don't start getting your memory back soon, we may have to send you to a specialist of some sort." He leered at her even as he pulled away. "I guess I'll be moving into the guest room then, because you're just too sexy for me to be around and be able to behave myself."

&&&&&&

Everyone was in the senior partner's suite in various stages of sleep deprivation, called to an emergency meeting.

Fred had been diligently tapping away at her laptop when she crowed triumphantly (but softly, mindful that the twins were asleep). "Aha, got it." She paused while everyone gathered around her. "I've managed to hack in to the airport's security system." All was silent for a few moments, as Fred resumed her frantic typing. Soon, a picture started forming on the screen. It wavered, then sharpened, and became one of the airport's many terminals quite unmistakably.

"That was the gate where Rose was supposed to be arriving," Fred muttered, still clicking away. "Now, we just need to get to the time when her flight arrived."

The picture blurred as it sped by at breakneck speed. But soon, it slowed down again as people began debarking from a flight.

"There she is!" Spike and Angel shouted in unison, both pointing.

Fred prudently let the scene unwind until Rose was nearer the airport's camera before she froze the action.

"She's not alone," Wesley stated the obvious. "But I wonder who the chap with her is."

"Richard McDaniels," Gunn supplied. "Word is that he's going to be putting in a bid for the state senate."

"He can run for Queen of the May for all I care," Spike snarled. "What I want to know is, what in bloody hell is he doing with my wife?"

"Gunn, do you know anything else about the guy?" Angel asked. Like everyone else, his eyes were still riveted to the computer screen and the image of Rose.

"Just that he appeared pretty much out of nowhere and suddenly started making a big noise," Gunn replied. "No one has been able to find out much about him."

"Not even us, with Wolfram and Hart's resources?" Wesley inquired.

"Pardon me for sticking my two cents in," Lorne interjected. "But most of the time we don't have the leisure to check into everyone's private profile unless there's a call for it. I haven't heard that call yet."

"Consider yourself called, Lorne," Angel stated. The pieces still weren't falling into place for him. Such as.., "I can think of several reasons why he would make off with Rose," he mused. "But why would Rose go with him?"

&&&&&&&&

"Yes," Richard said into the phone impatiently, but quietly. Rose.., no, Lily, mustn't slip up, was still asleep in the next room. "I want all the paperwork that says that we got married a week ago. I even want a wedding notice from the local paper. Everything that will make it seem legit. Especially to her. And I want it five minutes ago." A pause. "Her signature? No, I don't have a copy of her signature, especially since the name I'm calling her isn't hers. You're not going to find her signature with that name. What? She said she lived in the Wolfram and Hart building, so my best guess is that she works there too. Her first name is Rose. I never got her last name. Yes, get the whole personal profile. Well, if you keep talking to me and asking me stupid questions, you'll never get anything done." He hung up the phone with thump, then picked it up again.

"It's Richard, Master," he said softly. "I have found the necessary sacrifice. All will be in readiness as you have ordered. Yes, that is being taken care of even as we speak. We shall reach the seat of power. And Rose will be the conduit that gets us there."

"Master?" Richard added a little hesitantly. "Before she lost her memory, she said that she lived at Wolfram and Hart. I know that you have a great deal of power, but will it be enough if the senior partners decided to take issue with us?" There was a long pause. "As you wish, Master."

&&&&&&&

As the sun began making itself evident, a gentle hand came down on Spike's shoulder.

"Listen, Spikey," Harmony began. "Val and I really can't do much here, but we could take the kids off your hands. Let you get some rest."

"Thanks, Harm," Spike mumbled, half-asleep, but fighting the good fight. "But we'll get by." He'd already managed to lose Rose, he didn't much fancy having the kids be too far away from him at the moment.

"Don't be silly, Spike," Fred chided gently. "You're almost out of it now."

Angel fought back a yawn. "Listen to them, Spike," he advised. "I don't think either one of us is up to looking after kids. Especially your kids."

Harmony hadn't waited for permission, but had already gone to get the twins up and dressed. Soon, the three of them re-entered the living room.

The twins made a beeline for their father, but stopped short right in front of him, hand in hand, just looking at him.

The rest of the crew noticed that despite his protestations, Spike was already asleep. And the frantic flickering of his eyelids pointed out the fact that he was already dreaming.

The children continued to look at Spike for a while longer, then turned and looked into each other's eyes for a long moment, evidently holding a telepathic conference.

Ariel turned to Angel and crawled up into his lap. She loved all of her extended family, but Angel was almost invariably the one she went to for comfort.

"He's dreaming about mummy," she whispered loudly, snuggling into him.

Alaric reached up to put his arms around Harmony's waist and leaned against her. Harm's hand came down to ruffled silky blond-white curls.

"Bless their little hearts," Lorne said softly. There was a quick application of the handkerchief to the corners of the eyes.

Ariel slid carefully out of Angel's lap, as he began to fade as well. She went over to where her brother was, and Val scooped her up in his arms and cuddled her.

No more words were spoken. Everyone exchanged a glance, then at a gesture from Wesley, they all filed out as quietly as possible, with even the Watcher trying to move silently while stumping along on crutches.

&&&&&&&&

She woke hearing a murmured monologue in the next room, and curiosity got the better of her.

"No, Master," Richard replied to an unheard question. "She remembers nothing of her real life. All she knows is what I have told her."

Her brow furrowed in thought at the pronouncement. Either Richard knew someone else suffering from amnesia, or he was talking about her. She listened even more intently, to see if she could garner any more information. But the voice had fallen silent, and soon she heard the tell-tale sound of approaching footsteps. She hastened away from the door, trying to appear as though she had just risen.

There was a soft tap, then, Richard let himself in, quietly, lest she be sleeping. "Good morning, Lily, dearest." He bent to brush his lips across her cheek. He would have liked to be a little less impersonal, one, for the act he was playing for his 'wife' and the other simply because he was a healthy male with an equally healthy libido. But the Master had cautioned him against it. Best not to get too attached to a sacrifice. It could make it difficult to function later.

"Good morning, Richard," she murmured. She was unsettled by what she had heard, but was reluctant to quiz him about it openly. She resolved to keep her eyes and ears open and find out what she could. Maybe then, she would be able to make head or tail of it all. But she was beginning to be pretty sure that Richard was not her husband. She looked down at the wedding band on her left hand with a frown. It looked like it belonged there, and she wondered who, if anyone, had really placed it on her finger.

"Ready to go shopping?" It almost seemed a waste, but the Master hadn't set a specific time for the sacrifice, and until he did, appearances must be kept up. Therefore, his 'wife' must be attired as befitted the position he was aspiring to.

"If you like," she murmured. "At least, I will be if you'll let me get dressed. I'll be out in a minute."

"Works for me," he avowed. "Now get a move on." He gave her a little swat on the backside before leaving her.

She rubbed the aforementioned body part thoughtfully. The sensation was not unfamiliar, but she was becoming more sure than ever that Richard wasn't the one who belonged in her life. She wondered who did.

&&&&&&&

Angel's and Spike's eyes opened nearly simultaneously.

"Thought they'd never leave," Spike remarked. He rose from his chair in one lithe movement. "You ready?"

"How about some breakfast first?" Angel asked. "We have been up for over twenty-four hours. If we can't take the time to sleep, we could at least..,"

"Oh quit whining," Spike interrupted. "I'll bloody well give you a cuppa if for no other reason than to shut your gob."

Spike's snappish manner didn't keep him from joining Angel at his repast though. By tacit consent, they both rushed through it, eager to be gone.

"So," Spike broke the silence that had fallen. "Where are we headed?"

"The storm sewers," Angel replied shortly. "We need someone to start gathering information about Richard McDaniels. And unless I miss my guess, there are even better sources than the ones that Gunn has."

"The Q'xlzr demon?" Spike asked. "How can you be sure that it's round and about? It does tend to move around a bit, you know."

"I pay it a small retainer fee just so it will report in regularly and be available if I do need it," Angel explained. "It just so happens that today's payday. It will be there."

&&&&&&&

Harmony and Val watched helplessly as the twins sat in silent communication. They were cross legged, facing each other, and they hadn't uttered a word in over an hour.

"This is creepy," Val muttered. He now felt as much affection for the twins as anyone else, but they still made his skin crawl sometimes. "Do you think maybe we should try to pull them out of this?"

"You can't," Harmony whispered back loudly. "We've tried it before. You just have to wait until they come out on their own. But I've never seen them gone for this long before."

Almost as if on cue, Alaric and Ariel's eyes seemed to cross briefly, uncross, unfocus, then finally focus.

"Any luck?" asked Harmony in as positive a tone of voice as she could muster. She didn't even know what they'd been searching for.

The children looked thoughtful.

"We're not sure," Alaric offered. "Ariel thinks we may have found her, but it doesn't feel quite like mummy should."

"It feels like mummy," Ariel corrected her brother. "But it didn't think quite like mummy. If it was mummy, she would have been thinking about daddy and us. Not somebody named Richard. Do we even know anyone named Richard?"

"Doesn't matter," Alaric replied, failing to notice the open-jawed expressions on the adult's faces. "Mummy wouldn't be thinking about anyone else as her husband. Just daddy."

"Husband?" Harmony asked weakly. That was it. No matter how tired he was, Spike had to know about this development. And she didn't think he'd like the idea of anyone other than him laying claim to Rose's affections. A quick glance in Val's direction told her that he was thinking pretty much the same thing.


	3. Gilding the Lily

Gilding the Lily

Dark, dank, far below ground level. Far from the rays of the sun. The sort of place many an evil creature preferred. A place where one could reasonably expect the most hideous and terrifying of monsters to jump out, slavering and thirsting for blood.

The sound of a striking match. Then, a tiny tongue of fire, flaring, flickering into life. Match touched to the wick of an oil lamp, so, and then, the small, subterranean chamber was dimly illuminated.

The figure tending to the lamp was not at all what the dire and drear ambience of the location might suggest. In fact, in an odd twist of fate, the first word that might spring to mind was harmless.

It was the figure of an old man, finely built and slight of figure. The wispy, baby-fine white hair clung to his skull as if afraid to venture too far away from it. Conversely, the bristly, bushy eyebrows of the same hue stuck out in every conceivable direction, adding a touch of the comic. Perhaps unfortunately so, for they called attention away from the eyes themselves. Red-flecked, black orbs that looked as though they reflected the depths of hell and madness.

At the moment, the old man was carefully examining the dingy, off-white robe that covered his fragile-seeming frame, and speaking in the expected querulous, old man voice.

"Corinna?" He peered up one sleeve. "Corinna? Where are you, naughty girl?" He turned his attention to the other sleeve, and ceased his questing. "Well come on out now, baby girl. Come, come, daddy will give her a nice treat."

A spider, so large and hairy that it made one wonder about the old man that it could have been hiding in his raiment without his notice.

"There she is," he said, sounding mildly surprised. He gently placed the creature on its web and deposited something raw and bleeding therein. "Be a good girl now, daddy has work to do."

He turned away from his pet and began thinking. The report from Richard was a step in the right direction, the right sacrifice had been a long time coming. But there was something about the connection with the Wolf, the Ram and the Hart that bothered him. Best look into it. And perhaps arrange a meeting with the senior partners. Just to be on the safe side. No sense in getting into a conflict with them if it could be avoided. Not that he feared them. But it could be a hitch in his plans, and a great deal depended on them going through smoothly. A very great deal.

&&&&&&&&

"I thought you said that it would be here to meet you," Spike pointed out, pacing.

"It will be here," Angel assured him. "I have yet to meet a Q'xlzr who'll turn down the opportunity for money, no matter how little it is. Besides, this one is Rose's friend."

At the mention of Rose's name, Spike's face grew grim. He turned away and was about to punch the nearest thing to him, which would have been the interior wall of the sewer, but Angel checked the punch.

"That's not going to help, Spike," Angel remarked. "Take it easy, the Q'xlzr will be here."

"Two vampire?" came a familiar voice from the shadows. "Why two vampire being here? Rose okay?"

Spike buried his face in his hands. "No." His voice took on an odd, echoing quality, coming through his hands. "Rose is not okay."

"What happen Rose?" the Q'xlzr demanded accusingly. It glared at the two vampires, orange eyes almost glowing. "Where Rose?"

"When Rose came back from England it looks like she left the airport with someone named Richard McDaniels," Angel explained. "We don't know why she did it. And until we find out what's going on, we don't want to just go running in there."

The blue-gray demon turned on Spike. "Why vampire not there to get Rose?" Its ears were standing on end, quivering with indignation.

"I got stuck in the bloody L.A. traffic," Spike shouted defensively, head coming up. "Do you think I didn't want to be there? That I like the idea of her being with another man?" His voice began to break. "That I like having that empty space in the bed beside me at night?" He turned away, fighting to get himself back under control.

The Q'xlzr edged a step closer and timidly patted the vampire's arm. "We get Rose back."

&&&&&&&&

"Richard, you're being far too extravagant," she protested, feeling a twinge of déjà vu. Who had she been arguing with about clothes shopping?

"Nonsense," Richard replied firmly. "You need a whole new wardrobe.., Lily. Besides, if I win the election, you'll have to dress as befits a senator's wife."

A cloud passed over her face. It bothered her that she couldn't remember marrying Richard. A dim, half-memory flashed through her head. "Richard, what color was my wedding dress?"

"White, of course." He had no idea, obviously, not having been present when she actually had married. "It was your first marriage. And, I hope, your last."

She gave him a smile, but something in the back of her mind said that he was lying to her. Her mind's eye saw a wedding gown, and it was not white. More of a, oh, what did they call that color? A sort of dusty pink. She decided that it wouldn't be a good idea to ask Richard.

"Lily?" Richard was looking at her impatiently. "We really don't have time for you to go woolgathering, dearest."

"Gathering wool?" For some reason the phrase didn't register at first.

Richard sighed in exasperation. "Get your head out of the clouds, toots," he ordered softly. "Time's a wasting."

"Time is quite often a matter of opinion," she retorted, bringing startled expressions to both of their faces. Where on earth had she gotten that?

&&&&&&&

There was a knock on Angel's office door, followed by Lorne's head poking in.

"Got a sec?" the Pylean asked.

"Have you got any news about Rose or Richard McDaniels?" Angel countered.

"How about a call from 'please, call me Richard', to set up entertainment for a fundraiser?" Lorne asked. "Does that buy me a minute of your valuable time?"

Angel started to smile. "He wants us to be in charge of running his fundraiser?"

"Well, so far, just finding the talent to keep it from being so boring that people won't open their wallets," Lorne admitted. He studied Angel's face carefully. "What have you got in mind?"

"Ask him if he'd be interested in having us handle security as well," Angel ordered. "Then, maybe we can get close enough to Rose to find out just what is going on."

"Anything in the cause of getting the Rosebud back," Lorne vowed. "How are Spike and the kiddies holding up?"

"The kids are a little quiet," Angel reported. "But I think that Spike's getting homicidal."

Lorne shook his head, and started for the door. "Just like old times, huh, big guy?"

A puzzled expression crossed Angel's features. "What are you talking about?"

"Just like old times," the empath repeated. "Rescuing the blossom."

&&&&&&

Richard had said that he had some business calls to attend to, so he'd left her alone to put away her new clothes, directing her to pick out something nice to wear that evening so he could take her out to dinner. So, she folded, put on hangers, and removed tags. And started singing, something that just seemed to pop into her head.

"'Early one morning Just as the sun was rising I heard a maid sing in the valley below'." My, she thought, that was a pretty song. She wondered where she had learned it. "'Oh, don't deceive me Oh, never leave me How could you treat a poor maiden so'?"

Richard stuck his head in the door. "I didn't think I left the radio on," he muttered, half to himself. "And anyway, that doesn't sound like something..," He stopped short as realization hit. "Was that you singing, Lily?"

She blushed. "Yes, it was," she admitted. "I wonder where I learned it, though. I have the feeling that it's a very old song."

Richard laughed. "Don't sweat it, sweetie," he advised. "I'd go crazy if I tried to pinned down where I'd heard every song that ever popped into my head."

"But you didn't have amnesia," she pointed out seriously. "That kind of makes it a little more important to me, dear." She sat down on the edge of the bed with a sigh. "Do you think I'll ever get my memory back?"

He joined her, and put an arm around her shoulders. "Sure you will, hon," he assured her. "Having that song pop into your pretty head was probably just the first step. Before you know it, you'll probably start remembering all kinds of things."

She allowed her head to fall on his shoulder. "Do you really think so?" she asked a little wistfully.

"Sure," he reiterated. He snuggled her close. "And maybe when it does come back, you'll remember just how much in love we are, my beautiful angel."

They just sat there as they were for a few moments, each thinking their own thoughts. Richard, of paving the path to power for his Master. And 'Lily' thinking that there was something she ought to remember about an angel.

&&&&&&&&

Oz had suspended lessons for the day. It wasn't as if the twins weren't already two grades ahead of their age group. Or that they could be considerably farther than that. He'd left them Friday, all bubbling over with anticipation over having their mother get back from England. And now, somehow, someone had managed to yank that rug out from under them. Even though Spike had filled him in on everything upon his arrival that morning, he still couldn't figure it out. Like Spike, he didn't for one moment believe that Rose had just up and left her family like that. If there was one thing he would put money on, it was Rose being utterly devoted to those she loved. So what in the hell was going on?

Mostly, the kids had been in deep telepathic rapport. Oz knew and respected this mode. Especially now, when he knew why they were doing it. He just let them be today, and kept an eye on them. He was surprised when Ariel gave an almost natural giggle, and came out of it for a moment.

"What gives?" he asked softly.

"Mummy almost remembered something," the little girl explained to him. "About arguing about shopping for clothes." Again with the giggle. "We never let her pick out her own stuff."

Alaric had joined them, but his face was twisted in a scowl. "Almost remembered isn't remembered," he grumbled. "And I can't make her listen to me."

"Then stop trying," his sister advised. "You might hurt her." She thought a moment. "Is it just me, or did it feel like she was already hurt?"

Alaric nodded. "Like there's a great, big bruise on her memory."

Oz looked at the pair of them quizzically. "A bruise on her memory?" he repeated. "Are you saying that she doesn't remember who she is?"

Both children gave him a 'well duh' look. "Why else do you think that mummy didn't come home?" Ariel asked. "It's because she didn't remember us."

"You don't think she would leave us for anything else, do you?" Alaric demanded. "Mummy loves us. She wouldn't leave us on purpose."

"Not ever," agreed Ariel.

&&&&&&&&

Wesley listened unashamedly as Lorne breezed into his office, still talking ninety to the dozen on his cell phone.

"Yeah, Richie baby." Lorne could almost see Richard wince. "Lorne here. I've got some entertainment lined up for you, and I guarantee, it is some primo stuff. But the boss man is interested in doing his little bit to get you into the senate too. If you let us take security along with, in a package, he's willing to give you a very attractive discount. Sure, sure thing, pal. I understand about these things. You go ahead and talk it over with your p.r. man. But I can practically guarantee that he'll race you to the phone to accept." He turned and gave Wes a wink. "You what? Want your new bride to sing?" The Pylean winced, thinking that love wasn't only blind, it was often tone-deaf. "I know you're still on your honeymoon.., She'll sing for me?" This was too much, and Lorne crouched down beside the Watcher, so they could both hear the soft, sultry contralto voice that issued from the phone.

"'That's why darling, it's incredible That someone so unforgettable Thinks that I'm unforgettable too'."

Lorne clicked the phone shut almost reverently, and Wesley handed him a tissue. Then, he got one for himself. Once heard, there was no mistaking Rose's voice. And the woman that Richard McDaniels had introduced as his wife was most definitely Rose.


	4. Part of the Problem

Part of the Problem

"I know that technically, we shouldn't be here," Oz began.

"Oz," Angel broke in before the tutor could go on. "I trust your judgment. If you and the kids are here against the rules, I'm willing to take it on faith that it's important."

"Thanks, Angel," Oz mumbled to the floor. Then, he looked up and blurted out. "Did you know that Rose has amnesia?"

"What?" Angel's voice rose an octave, and the only thing that kept him from standing up to try to take the news on his feet was that he had Ariel on his lap. He looked at her, then at her brother, who was perched on the desk. "Why didn't you tell us?" he asked, trying to keep his tones even. Reminding himself that when all was said and done, they were just kids.

"We didn't think to, Uncle Angel," Ariel replied. She looked so guilty that Angel felt that he had to give her a reassuring cuddle.

"We thought you knew," Alaric added. "Why else would mummy go with that man?"

Angel exchanged a helpless look with Oz. Before either of them could comment, Lorne came charging in with Wes behind him, trying to see if he could set a speed record on crutches.

"Richard McDaniels has the Rosebud posing as his wife," the Pylean burst out. "He called her Lily, but I never forget a voice. And the voice that was singing on the phone was Rose."

"Did you get a reading on her?" Angel asked.

"Negative, Angelcakes," the empath replied. "It's got to be up close and personal for me to get a handle on things."

"What are the children doing here?" Wesley inquired, voice more than a little disapproving. "I thought the offices were off limits." It didn't stop him from maneuvering his way around the desk for hugs and kisses.

"According to them," Oz put in. "Rose has amnesia."

Lorne grabbed a bottle and a glass and sat down with them. He took in a serious medicinal dose of alcohol before speaking. "So that's why the blossom's going along with it," he muttered into his glass. "I knew something was wrong. Rose would never leave Spike of her own free will."

"Too damn right she wouldn't," came a voice from the doorway as the rest of the fang gang migrated in. "So, somebody cast a spell on her or some such?"

"According to your offspring," Wesley informed him. "Rose went with McDaniels because she doesn't remember you." He looked at the twins. "Could you tell if the amnesia was total? Could she remember anything at all?"

"She almost remembered fussing with people about shopping for clothes," Ariel offered.

"And she thought she might have remembered what color her wedding dress was," Alaric finished. "But that's not very much. She doesn't even remember us." He sounded mightily offended that mummy might not remember him.

Spike, who was about to take Ariel away from Angel, a nearly reflex action, suddenly dropped his arms to his sides and leaned heavily against the wall. "She doesn't remember us?" he inquired in shocked tones.

"And the reason may have been staring us in the face and we didn't realize it," Fred announced. "I blew up some stills I made from the airport security tapes." She pulled out a folder and extracted a photo. "Look here."

Everyone crowded around to see what Fred's dainty forefinger indicated.

"I ought to have blown this up a little more," Fred murmured. "But if you look real close, you can see some discoloration here." She pointed at Rose's forehead. "At first I thought it was defect on the film. Then, I started going through all the pictures, and it's on every one of them. Something must have hit Rose on the head."

Gunn's jaw dropped. "We're sitting in the middle of what used to be evil central," he said in a stunned voice. "Hardly anybody likes us, including our bosses, and then Rose loses her memory from a common garden variety accident?" He thought it over, and still had trouble dealing with the concept. "I think I need to sit down."

"We said it felt like she was hurt," Alaric informed all and sundry, a trifle smugly. But then, he thought about it again. "Poor mummy."

Lorne patted his nephew on the head. "So," he remarked. "We know where the Rosebud is and why, so why aren't we going there to get her?"

"Bloody good question," Spike said approvingly. He came up off the wall and headed for the weapons cabinet.

"Oh no you don't." Angel hurriedly deposited a little girl on his chair then grabbed Spike's arm and held tight. "We can't go charging in there armed to the teeth. Or go charging in there at all." He reflected that if looks could kill, he would be dying a slow, horrible death about now.

"Give me one good reason," Spike growled softly. "Just one reason why I can't go get my wife away from that git."

Angel sighed, but he really couldn't blame Spike for going off the deep end. He'd been with Rose, in one form or another, for the better part of ten years, and the two of them were as devoted to each other now as they had been in the beginning.

"Think about it, Spike," he said gently. "He's already told her that her name is Lily instead of Rose. That she's his wife instead of yours. What else could he have told her? For all we know, he could have her convinced that we're trying to kill her, or something like that. There's no guarantee she'll get her memory back the moment she sees you."

The tableau seemed frozen in time for long silent seconds. Then, Spike broke away and retrieved both of his children and sat in Angel's chair with them cuddled on his lap.

"So what exactly do we do now?" Lorne asked. The sight of Spike and the twins trying to comfort each other over the missing part of their very close-knit family was so sad it was breaking his heart. The emotions were too profound even for tears.

&&&&&&&

"Of course I want you to win the election," she declared. "And I do intend to be as good and supportive a wife as I can possibly be. I just don't think anyone is going to want to hear me sing."

"Lily, there are professionals out there who don't have half your voice," Richard vowed. He had truly been impressed with her singing. "I may not be able to sing myself, but I do have a good ear for it. And when I heard you sing, my first thought was, why on earth didn't she go pro?"

"Now you're getting carried away again," she accused, blushing. "I'm sure a professional singer would find my voice to be quite run of the mill."

Richard sighed resignedly. "I can see that I'm not going to convince you," he commented. "But you will sing, won't you, Lily, darling? For me?"

"I suppose so." She gave in with fairly ill-grace. She didn't feel comfortable with the idea of making a spectacle of herself in front of all those strangers.

"I've even got a special song for you to sing," he said. "I know it's not much notice, my dear, but do you think you can learn this?"

"I'm sure I can," she replied confidently, taking the proffered papers. Her confidence faded. "What language is that?" she asked in a small voice.

"Etruscan," Richard answered. "It's king of a good luck charm for me. Long story. And while I'd like to say that you're all the good luck I could ever need, I'm way too superstitious for that."

She was already studying the music intently, humming snatches of it. She was about to burst into song once, but he forestalled her.

"I know this is a pain," he said apologetically. "But you mustn't sing it until the night of your performance. Memorize the tune and the words, by all means, but please don't sing it out loud."

"More superstitions?" she asked.

"Exactly that," he agreed, wrapping his arms around her and kissing her cheek. "More superstitions."

&&&&&&&&

Come Monday, Richard went off to his job as a lawyer (and why did that seem like it should mean something to her, other than that was what her new husband did for a living?), but he insisted that she take some time to adjust.

"Once you've acclimated, and, hopefully, gotten your memory back," he remarked. "Then you can worry about looking for a job if you really want one." He dug into his pocket and produced a sizable bundle of cash. "If you want to shop or something," he explained to her puzzled look. "You're not a prisoner here, Lily, you're my wife."

She looked embarrassed and a little shy. "I hope I never gave you the impression that I feel like a prisoner, Richard," she mumbled. "But I'm afraid that I don't much feel like a wife, either."

"Give it a little time," he advised. "We haven't been married all that long, anyway. Meanwhile." He thrust the money into her hands. "Why don't you get out a little today? Go to a salon, shop, lunch out, whatever your little heart desires. Just as long as you're here waiting for me when I get home."

&&&&&&&&&

"Spike, I think practicing with live steel right now is probably not a good idea," Angel said, a little nervously. He knew that Spike was wound tighter than a clock spring right now, and he knew that he was the most readily available person for his grandchilde to take his feelings out on.

Spike looked down at the blade in his hand almost lovingly. Then he tossed it aside negligently. So negligently, in fact, that Angel had to move quickly to avoid being skewered by it. "Dammit, Spike! Be careful with that thing."

"Sorry." That Spike's heart wasn't in an apology to Angel was par for the course. But Angel had the feeling that right now, his heart wasn't in much of anything. "Maybe we ought to call today's session off. Don't think I'm much up to it."

Angel knew that Spike was hurting, but he also knew that the younger vampire would only take so much sympathy from him. Practically none, in fact. "We'll get her back, Spike. We always have before, haven't we?"

"That was different," Spike snapped, turning on him. "Suppose the bloody amnesia is permanent? She might never remember me and the kids. And she's with him." He turned away again. "She's never been with anyone but me, before. I guess I was always kind of proud of that. Like she'd never look at another bloke but me."

"You don't know that she has," Angel pointed out. "We do know that Richard McDaniels has her convinced that she's his wife. That doesn't mean that she would have been interested if he hadn't told her that."

"Doesn't change the fact that she's with him instead of here where she belongs," Spike muttered. "And I thought the week she was in England was bad. At least then she could call and e-mail us. We weren't completely cut off from her." He gave his grandsire a helpless and uncharacteristically revealing look. "What if she doesn't want to come back?"

Angel was about to open his mouth to say that Rose would never desert them, but he couldn't really say it with any certainty at the moment. The only guarantee would be with the return of Rose's memory. But what if it didn't return? He wasn't a doctor of any description, and he had no idea what the chances were of the one-time Power recovering her memory. He returned the helpless look, and he and Spike walked out of the practice room.

&&&&&&&&

"I understand that you're concerned about your mom," Oz said. "But you guys are starting to scare me. You can't keep an eye on her thoughts twenty-four seven."

Alaric looked at him thoughtfully. "Sure we can," he averred. "There's two of us. 'Sides, we sleep when she sleeps, so it's only during the day."

Oz wasn't going to keep hitting his head against that one. He'd let Spike deal with it. "What exactly do you expect to accomplish by monitoring her like that?"

"We'll know if she remembers anything," Ariel replied. She looked very serious all of a sudden. Her eyes closed, not in repose, but rather to shut out extraneous stimuli. Her face wore an expression of intense concentration. Alaric took her hands in his, but did nothing else, almost as though he were lending her whatever extra power she needed to accomplish her self-imposed task.

This continued on for several minutes, when it was finally over, the twins exchanged a glance, and Alaric took over monitoring his mother. Ariel located a piece of paper and started writing at a furious pace.

Oz watched silently, knowing that trying to intervene between the children and their beloved mother would not only be futile, but more than a bit cruel as well. He wouldn't try to put a halt to things unless it looked like the kids were about to hurt themselves.

Ariel finished her writing. Oz glanced over her shoulder at it. He'd been looking at their handwriting over their shoulders for more than five years now. But while the handwriting was Ariel's usual neat, careful script, he couldn't read a word of it. Nor, he suspected, could his young charges.

"Do you have any idea what it is?" he asked softly.

"I'm not sure," the little girl admitted. "The man told mummy that the language was Etruscan. It's not one of her better ones." Ariel said the last almost apologetically.

"She just thinks it's a song," Alaric added. When his sister gave him a look, he said, "They're just talking about shopping and stuff. Nothing important."

"I take it you don't think it's a harmless song?" Oz didn't even know why he should bother asking that one.

"We're not really sure," Ariel conceded. "I think we need to show it to Uncle Wes first."


	5. A Ray of Light

A Ray of Light

"You're sure you can pull it off then?" Spike was nervous and them some, and it showed.

Long, pointed ears twitched, then flopped down to land nearly to the little demon's shoulders.

"What I be telling you for last hour, vampire?" it demanded in exasperation. "I be finding Rose and giving package. What in package?"

"Pictures," Spike answered shortly. "She's not going to know you. She might even be afraid of you."

"I be knowing how to deal with hysterical peoples," the Q'xlzr sighed. "Vampire be giving I pictures before I be expiring of extreme old age?"

Matching the Q'xlzr sigh for sigh, and because he was really desperate to get Rose back, Spike handed the demon the envelope in his hands.

&&&&&&&

"Are you sure you wrote this down properly, Ariel?" Wesley asked, squinting at the manuscript in question.

"I think so, Uncle Wes," the little girl replied, snuggling into him.

Wesley smiled. A natural-born little flirt, he thought, stroking her hair. At least Ariel allowed the kissing and cuddling as freely as ever. Alaric was coming of an age when he was becoming acutely conscious of his masculinity, and therefore would only accept handshakes from his 'uncles' as a general rule.

"Pay attention, Uncle Wes," the aforementioned fledgling male grumbled. "You're supposed to help us get mummy back."

"You're absolutely right, Alaric," Wesley agreed. "So why don't the two of you let Oz take you back home so I can get busy translating it?" He saw from the crestfallen expressions on their faces that he hadn't quite lived up to standards again. He racked his brain hurriedly, and added, "You did very well, bringing this to me. Thank you."

The twinkle returned to the twin's eyes, and both of them condescended to kiss him upon their departure.

&&&&&&&

"Have you seen the Q'xlzr demon?" Angel demanded. "It was supposed to report in to me."

"Not within the last five minutes," Spike replied, with complete truth. It had been over half an hour since he'd seen the little demon. And it wasn't like he had a problem with lying to Angel, it was just.., it was Rose's influence, that's what it bloody was.

But this time, Angel didn't catch the sarcastic edge in Spike's voice. Either that or he was so inured to it that it failed to register. "If you do see it, send it to see me, okay?"

"Absolutely," Spike agreed, straight-faced. He stood and watched Angel's retreating back and muttered, "Git."

&&&&&&&

She wandered through the crowded mall a little aimlessly. She didn't know why she'd gone on the shopping trip, let alone what had prompted Richard to suggest it. She had everything she needed, thanks to the spree he'd just indulged her with. So, clothes weren't an issue. Although it would be nice, a random thought floated through her head, to go shopping for clothes without an argument. Now where did that come from? It was like half a memory. A scene, words, but no people to put it in context.

The mall's food court boasted a gourmet coffee shop, and she spent a ridiculous amount of money for what purported to be a bona fide taste sensation. It fell far short of the mark, in her estimation, but at least it had caffeine in it.

She was leaving the food court when a spindly, blue gray hand reached out from behind a potted plant and tugged on her wrist.

The curious thing about it, she reflected, was that she ought to be afraid. Terrified, really. But she wasn't, not in the slightest. It may have been small, and relatively innocuous in appearance, but it was entirely outside the norm.

Orange cat's eyes regarded her solemnly. "You not being afraid of I?" it inquired.

She smiled hesitantly. "I guess by rights I should be," she murmured. "But for some inexplicable reason, I'm not."

"I no hurt," the creature assured her. It held out an envelope. "I being here to make delivery."

"Thank you," she responded automatically, as she received the packet. As the miniature.., monster, melted away, she thought she heard a mutter that sounded like someone saying, "Poor Rose."

&&&&&&&

Wesley went back and forth between manuscript and dictionary. He was sorely tempted to call Ariel back to help him. It wasn't that he couldn't read her writing, but it was a different alphabet than she was used to. Some of the characters were a little.., ambiguous, and he could have used a bit of clarification. He resisted the urge. The children were far too well versed in the seamier side of things anyway. It wasn't like they could be protected from learning it, being telepaths. But it was a direct offense to his sense of decorum. He sighed and went back to his translating. Right now, he was just working on the more obviously correct symbols. As he wound down, he would try to get the rest of the meaning in clear. But it was going to take a while. Maybe quite a while. He wished he could be sure that he had quite a while.

&&&&&&&&

Curious at what the envelope could possibly contain, she found a semi-quiet little nook, just out of the main bustle to inspect the contents. At first, all that she could be sure of was that they were photographs, the backs were to her. Then, she turned them over. The first picture was of a pair of children. An adorable little boy with white-blond hair and blue eyes, and a little girl, apparently the same age as the boy, with hair and eyes that looked oddly familiar. It took her a few moments to realize that the little girl had her coloring. Perhaps it was a picture of her as a child? But that notion was swiftly dispelled when she turned to the next picture. A family group. The two children in front, and behind them, a smiling man who made it obvious where the little boy got his looks, and a woman. She closed her eyes, took a deep breath and looked again. But there, in the photo, the fourth face in the group was the same one that had looked back at her from the mirror this morning. So, she had been right. She wasn't married to Richard, and she was everlastingly glad that she had put him off from sleeping with her. She'd felt all along that it wouldn't be right, and now she knew why. But no matter how long she stared at the pictures, it still stirred no memories or feelings in her. She wished they did, she thought wistfully. They all looked so happy. It was then that she realized that there was one more picture in the group. The last one was of herself and the man. He sat behind her with his arms around her, looking down at her lovingly, and her head was turned in profile so that she could gaze up at him, also looking very much in love. But try as she might, she just couldn't remember any of it. She tucked the pictures away in her purse. She didn't think it would be a good idea to let Richard see them. If the pictures were genuine, and not contrived in some way, then Richard was lying to her, and had been since she had woken up on board the airplane. Now, she was starting to be determined to find out just why he was lying to her.

&&&&&&&

"Did you do it?" Spike asked. He'd been spending a considerable amount of time keeping an eye on the doors, hoping to see the Q'xlzr's return and head it off at the pass before it could spill the beans to Angel. Finally, his vigilance had paid off.

The little demon gave him a scornful look. "I be telling you, didn't I vampire?" It held out a hand expectantly. Just because Rose was its friend didn't mean that it didn't intend to get paid. Especially when payment had been promised. "Rose has pictures. Wasn't scared of I either."

"She wasn't?" That sounded damned odd to Spike. Given the average person's attitudes and training, she should have screamed and run. Still, he laid a stack of bills in the Q'xlzr's hand.

The blue gray figure shook its head. "Rose even smiled at I," it said a little smugly. "Boss vampire be waiting for I. I should be..,"

"Keeping your mouth shut and not telling him where you were or why you're late," Spike filled in for it. "I'd rather wait and see how things turn out, first, before I give that nancy-boy the chance to take a shot at me."

The Q'xlzr gave him a puzzled look, then, with a twitch of its ears, it was gone.

&&&&&&&

The old man sat at a table, with the spider sitting in front of him, stroking it with a forefinger. Contrary to popular opinion, the spider seemed to be purring.

"The senior partners don't seem to have a problem with what we're doing, Corinna," the ancient observed. "At least, from what I could tell. Sometimes, the partners are a little hard to read. Nor can I really guess at their motives." He picked up a teacup that was sitting in front of him, and took a dainty sip. Then, he gazed down into the dregs in the cup. "A useless conceit, really. I know there's nothing to be found in the tea leaves." He went back to stroking his ghastly little pet. "Still, an interesting study. I wonder if Richard has managed to find anything out about the sacrifice. The partners weren't particularly forthcoming on the subject. If I didn't know better, I'd say that they didn't know very much about her either." Corinna clambered up his arm to rest on his shoulder, and he turned his head for a brief moment of affection with his pet. "But I can't really imagine the senior partners putting this Rose up in their own personal suite without knowing anything about her. No, Corinna, there's more going on here than meets the eye. Let's hope that Richard turns it up, and quite soon. The sooner the sacrifice takes place, the sooner you and I can get out of this cell. The sooner we can return to the surface." The red flecks in his eyes suddenly grew, and blazed. "And then, my dear," he rasped. "We can feed."

&&&&&&&

"Start making your plans for the security, Angeleyes," Lorne said, breezing into Angel's office. "Richie boy swallowed the bait, hook and all. Are you sure that we can't just snatch the Rosebud back from him? Even if she doesn't remember, at least she'll be back where she belongs."

Angel shook his head. "Lorne, I've been talking to the doctors," he told the empath. "And they all agree that that kind of shock could do permanent damage. But they also say that amnesia so total is very rare. And it's even rarer that it's anything but short term. So if we just sit tight, and keep our eyes open, the chances are that Rose will remember on her own."

The Pylean stared down at the floor for long minutes. "So I guess that going up to her during the shindig is out of the question, isn't it?" he muttered. "Just staying on the sidelines and not being able to..,"

"Lorne," Angel interrupted. "It's hard for all of us. But we're going to get her back. And right now, she doesn't seem to be in any danger. So let's just be happy that she's safe for the moment. Okay?"

"If you say so," the demon sighed.

&&&&&&&

She started looking at the music that Richard had given her again. She still wasn't one hundred percent with singing in front of all those people, but she had kind of allowed herself to be painted into a corner about it. So, she guessed that she'd better be well versed in it. Funny, but for all that it was a foreign, and dead, language, she didn't seem to be having any trouble with the pronunciation. It seemed to come almost naturally. Now, if only she knew what the nonsensical-sounding words she was to sing meant. Then, one of them became clear to her, and then another, and another. Before she knew it, she was starting to read the long-dead language. And not liking what she was reading. In fact, she was becoming quite frightened. She stood up with the papers in hand, intending to take them to.., whom? She didn't know anyone here. Or did she? She pulled the photographs out of her purse and looked at them again, hoping for some sort of inspiration there. But nothing happened. That is, nothing happened until she started to return them to their hiding place. Then, she dropped one, and it flipped over as it fluttered to the floor. And she saw the string of numbers written on the back. A phone number. Whose? His? Or someone else's? So many questions, and no answers yet. But maybe that's why she had this phone number. So that she could get some answers.

&&&&&&&&

Angel tried to ignore the ringing phone. Harmony should have gotten it. He glanced out the inner windows and saw that there was no sign of Harmony anywhere near her desk. With a sigh, he picked up the phone. "Hello?"

"Hello?" The voice at the other end of the line sounded uncertain, and a little timid. And awfully damn familiar. "I'm sorry, I was just given this number, I don't even know what it's for. I just thought that maybe you might be able to help me." There the briefest of pauses, but before Angel could answer, the voice spoke again. "Oh, how stupid of me not to introduce myself. My name is Lily Mc Daniels. At least, that's what Richard says it is."

"We'll get it all sorted out," Angel promised. He had no idea how Rose had come across his phone number, and right at the moment, he didn't particularly care. He was just happy to be speaking to Rose. "And that's what we're here for. To help. Maybe it could get us started if you told me why you thought you needed help."

"Well," she said, voice gaining a little confidence, now that he hadn't dismissed her out of hand. "Richard, that's my husband, or, at least, he says he is, I don't know, I seem to have amnesia, and I suppose that's part of the problem." She realized she was rambling, and made another attempt, hoping to gain some coherence in the process. "Richard is running for the state senate, and he says that he wants me to sing at a fund raiser for his campaign." She stopped and took a deep breath, as if she felt she would need the extra oxygen just to get through the statement. "It's in Etruscan. I don't know how, but I seem to have a passing acquaintance with the language. And if I'm reading this correctly, if I sing this at that fund raiser, I'll be offering myself, and heaven knows who else, as a sacrifice to some demon or other. Does that sound insane to you?"

"Believe it or not," Angel replied. "It doesn't. It sounds very possible. And very dangerous for you. I think we're going to have to get you out of there." What with one thing and another, he realized that he hadn't introduced himself to her. Of course, it was an alien concept, having to introduce himself to someone with whom he'd been friends for years. "Sorry, by the way, my name's Angel."

"Angel." Her voice lingered over the word a moment, but only a moment. Apparently it wasn't enough to unlock any memories on its own. "What do you think we ought to do? The fund-raiser's tomorrow night."

"My firm will be handling security," he informed her. "We'll use that as a way to get you out of there before you sing that song." Maybe he ought to tell her who would be rescuing her. After all, he could hardly deny that there was one person, who, more than any other was entitled to. "The man who will get you out of there has bleached blond hair..,"

"And blue eyes?" she broke in eagerly. "And sculpted cheekbones?"

"How do you know what Spike looks like?" Angel suddenly started smelling a rat. A peroxide blond one.

"This strange little blue-gray creature met me at the mall today," she replied. "It gave me an envelope with some pictures in it. That man was in two of them. So were two little children. And so, it would seem, was I. Angel, can you tell me who I am?"


	6. Save the Last Dance for Me

Save the Last Dance for Me

"Spike, get your sorry ass up to my office," Angel snapped over the phone. All right, so things looked like they were going to turn out all right. But it could so easily have gone wrong. Besides, it was a way to vent some of the tension, so, he added, for good measure. "Now." Then, he hung up the phone before Spike could reply.

The moment Spike sauntered in, Angel grabbed him by the lapels of his duster and shoved him against the wall.

"You, bone-headed, jerk." Each word was accented by the back of Spike's head hitting the wall. "How did you get the pictures to her?"

"What pictures?" Spike asked, all innocence. He shook Angel off impatiently and rubbed the back of his head. "Got a lump coming up back there, you stupid nit."

Angel tossed a quarter at him, which Spike deftly snatched out of the air. "Call someone who cares," he told his grandchilde. "And quit playing dumb with me. I want to know how you got those pictures to Rose."

Spike flopped into the nearest chair. "Sent them with a friend," he hedged. Suddenly, he sat up straight. "If you know that Rose has the pictures, then she must have..,"

"Yes," Angel interrupted. "She called here. And sometime during the fundraiser tomorrow night, before she's scheduled to sing, we have to get her away from Richard McDaniels and get her out of there."

Spike became even more attentive. "Not that I have any problem with getting Rose away from the sorry little sod," he said cautiously. "Seein' as how that was what I've been wanting to do all along, but why the change in plans?"

"Because the song that McDaniels is having her sing is..," Angel began. He was interrupted by the door flying open, and Wesley stumping in as fast as a person on crutches could.

"Richard McDaniels is having Rose sing a spell that will offer her up as a sacrifice to a demon," Wesley announced, out of breath. "We have to find a way to stop it."

The vampires exchanged glances. "Glad to hear that you're keeping up with Rose, Wes," Angel remarked. "She'd already figured that out. Evidently she still remembers how to read Etruscan."

The Watcher's eyes nearly popped out of his head. "She does? How do you know? How in the world..," He seemed to lose his train of thought. He levered himself into a chair and sat looking at the two of them expectantly, waiting to hear the whole story.

Angel looked pointedly at Spike, since it seemed like that's where things had started.

"I had.., someone." He wasn't going to betray the Q'xlzr demon. At least, not unless it was necessary to save him an ass-chewing. "A friend. I had a friend take some of our family pictures to Rose. Some old, some new. You know, just so that..,"

"You could try to jog her memory," Angel finished for him. "Spike, I know you want her back, even more than the rest of us. But you need to listen to the experts and not try to force things like that."

"And I still don't know how Rose knows about the spell," Wes pointed out.

"In a flash of actual intelligence," Angel replied, ignoring Spike giving him the two-finger salute. "Spike wrote my office number on the back of one of the pictures. When Rose started realizing what that 'song' she was supposed to sing was, she called me." He looked back at Spike. "Why my office number?"

Spike shrugged. Actually, using Angel's number had been quite a concession for him. But, he'd always been willing to do what was best for Rose, no matter how much pride he had to swallow. "Well, I'm out of the office enough that it wouldn't do to use my extension." He gave his grandsire a pointed look, as if referring to an earlier argument. "Since some of us don't run to a personal assistant to take our calls when we're out. And I didn't think the home phone would be the answer either. If something would happen serious enough to make her call, it would have had to been during the day when Richie-boy was out of earshot. That kind of narrowed it down to you."

Wesley was still mulling things over. "She doesn't remember home and family," he muttered, half to himself. "But she does remember how to read Etruscan. Amazing."

&&&&&&

Richard carefully locked his office door before he flipped open his cell phone. This call was definitely not going out on one of the company lines. It still boggled his imagination that he could speak to the Master thus. He had anticipated some strange and weird spell. But even the monsters had to keep up with the technology of the twenty-first century.

"It's Richard, Master." It was how every conversation between them began. "I did as you ordered and set in motion a full background check on the sacrifice. Not only did we get every bit of information available on her, but we also found out that we are not the first to have done so. Yes, Master. But here's the odd thing. She has no history that anyone can find anywhere prior to her employment at Wolfram and Hart. The information on her application was patently falsified, and I'm surprised that they hired her. Even if they respected the connivance, they should have passed on her just from the sloppy job. No, it's not just my people, my Master. Havoc and Associates did a similar check about a year ago, and ran into the same thing. It's almost as if she appeared out of thin air about ten years ago."

&&&&&&&

She'd liked the voice she'd heard on the phone. She wondered if this Angel person was the man in the pictures with her. He sounded really nice. But no, that wasn't it. He'd said that the man in the pictures was named Spike. Curious name. She pulled out the pictures and looked again. He was very handsome. And they looked so.., right together. And the little ones looked positively adorable. She looked at them again, and then at herself in the mirror. She looked like the woman in the pictures, but both she and the man looked rather young to have school age children. It suddenly occurred to her to wonder if the photographs were fakes. Too late for that now. Besides, she knew that Richard was up to something no good. And that she wasn't, and most probably never had been his wife. She looked at the pictures again, especially the one of her and.., Spike, must remember the name. They looked so very much in love. She wished she could remember what it was like to feel that much in love with someone. Of course, right now, she'd be happy if she could remember just about anything.

&&&&&&&

"So, what's the plan of action?" The entire fang gang was once again met in Angel's office, but it was Gunn who spoke.

"We don't want to take her too early on in the night," Angel muttered. He was still scribbling things on paper, and going over the blueprint of the building where the fundraiser was to be held. "And we've got to make it seem as though she just stepped out. We don't want our senator-to-be suing us for botching security."

Spike gave him a look that said precisely what he thought of the excessive precautions. As far as he was concerned, the only priority was to get Rose back. He had dark hollows under his eyes, and his lithe form seemed to be leaning a bit towards the gaunt, these days.

"Are we all going?" Fred asked, giving him a pointed look. She gave another, similar look to Wesley, indicating he wasn't part of 'we all'. "Or are you and Spike going to hog it all?"

Angel gave her a lopsided grin. "Fred, you're on the front entrance manning the weapons detectors," he replied. "Lorne will be circulating, doing his thing, and, of course, keeping his eyes open. As boss, I'll mingle and hobnob." He paused to give everyone the time to get over a giggle at Spike's snort of unamused laughter. "Val will be wherever Spike puts him. Spike will be in charge of getting Rose out. She's got pictures of him, so she knows what he looks like."

"What about me?" Gunn asked. "You're taking Fred along, are you trying to say that you're going to leave me behind?"

"You're the diversion," Angel explained. "If it looks like the duties of being the focus of attention isn't enough to keep Richard McDaniels out of our way, you get to distract him. Talk shop or something. But try to keep hitting him over the head as a last-ditch resort."

"Angel," Wesley said quietly. "Once we've got her here, what do you intend to do with her? Unless she regains her memory between now and then, things will be awkward, to say the least. I very much doubt that she'll feel comfortable with the idea of resuming her family relationship."

Spike looked like the Watcher had sucker-punched him. Part of him insisted on believing that once they had Rose back, all would be right with the world. Problem was, there was always some bastard that kept pointing out that all wasn't right with the world, and wasn't likely to be. He went to the bar and grabbed a bottle. Before he could upend it, Angel took it out of his hands and returned it to its place.

"What about the kiddikins?" Lorne asked. "They're going to want to see their mom. Are you saying that we can't let them?"

"I think the first order of business when we get her back is to have medical give her a thorough going-over," Fred remarked. She'd jumped in with it because she figured that Spike would take less exception to it coming from her than from Angel.

"Why don't we play that one by ear?" Gunn suggested. "She might be curious and want to see them. Or, she may just feel sorry for them, missing their mom. We really won't know until we get her back."

"Aside from having medical check her out," Angel said quietly. "I think we'll just wait and see what Rose wants to do. If she wants to go home, fine. If not, she can stay in my spare room. Whatever she feels comfortable with. The main thing right now is to keep McDaniels from sacrificing her to a demon."

&&&&&&&

"It's very.., orange," she said dubiously, eyeing the formal gown. She hadn't realized they made them in such garish shades. And she certainly hadn't noticed Richard buying it when they'd been out shopping.

Richard smiled ingenuously. He realized that the thing was totally tasteless, and would clash with the red tones in her chestnut hair, but part of the ritual insisted on her wearing that particular shade. "You'll look great in it, Lily," he assured her. And, because he actually was an aspiring politician, he made the lie completely believable. Besides, it was, from his and the Master's standpoint, utterly necessary. He gave her a dose of puppy eyes. "Please? For me?"

She wondered at his blatant manipulation of her. Would he actually do that if she really was his wife? Or was it simply because he considered her disposable? She didn't really have an answer. She just made sure that she surreptitiously transferred the photographs into the purse that matched the hideous dress and started getting ready. To be sacrificed or rescued, one or the other. She hoped that if they did manage to get her, that they'd be able to restore her memory too. She really did want to remember. When she thought about the pictures that had been passed to her, she felt a pang of regret that she couldn't recall being part of something so obviously special.

&&&&&&&&

The conference center was a beehive of activity. Everywhere one looked, there were people going to and fro, doing something, either large or small in the cause of seeing Richard McDaniels getting into the California state senate. There were people who were concerned with decorations. There were caterers. There was the entertainment, and Lorne had outdone himself on this one. And there was a bleached blond Brit in a leather duster barking out orders over a cell phone.

"Who is that?" Richard asked Lorne, whom he'd just met face to face. He hadn't realized that Wolfram and Hart were so obviously integrated. He idly wondered if it would make a usable campaign platform. Equal rights for demons. Maybe not. Not even in California.

Lorne peered into the crowd of bodies. "Oh, you mean Spike," he answered. "He's in charge of security."

Richard gave Spike a more thorough inspection. "He looks awfully young for the job," he observed. He himself was thirty-five, and there was a lot of talk about his comparative youth in regards to the campaign.

Lorne wondered whether or not he should tell Richard that Spike was a vampire, then decided that the mere fact that this political wannabe was ready to sacrifice Rose in his own interests denied him such info. "He ages gracefully," the Pylean muttered. "And when do we get to meet your better half?" If Rose had been half of whatever this jerk was part of, she'd definitely be the better part of it.

Richard managed a natural looking smile. "She's still primping. I think she's got a little case of stage fright." He gave Lorne a knowing look.

"She ought to have a career on the stage the way she sings." Lorne didn't have to do any lying on that one. He'd always thought his precious blossom should sing for her supper, so to speak.

"Could you put that in writing for me?" Richard asked kiddingly. Not that it would matter. Not after Rose had done her turn in front of the lights.

&&&&&&&&

Dinner was over, and there was a space of time in between it and the organized entertainment. Spike was edgy and moving around here and there, not even trying to be inconspicuous. Which was just as well, as in his trademark jacket, he stood out like a sore thumb amongst the suits and evening gowns. Right now, there was dancing, and he thought of how much he and Rose always did enjoy an evening out dancing.

Almost as the thought crossed his mind, he caught her scent. Masked behind an unfamiliar perfume, and blurred by the scents of all the people around them, but unmistakably Rose. The scent that sent him off to sweet dreams most nights. And also the one that set fire to the blood in his veins. His be-all and end-all. He turned around, and there she was, standing behind him, looking a little lost and shy, and he could barely refrain from just taking her in his arms and trying to make everything better.

"Are you.., Spike?" she asked tentatively. He had to be, of course, he looked exactly the way he did in the photographs, but she wasn't sure how else to strike up a conversation with him. It felt strange, having to ask his name when she was pretty sure that she was married to him.

Spike made a sweeping bow. "At your service, beautiful lady." He got an idea, and once it was there, he just couldn't resist. "Probably way out of line and all that, being the hired help tonight, but would you like to dance with me?"

She smiled at him, and while it wasn't the special smile that was his and his alone, it was Rose, well, happy, and smiling at him, and for the moment, that was enough. It would have to be. "I'd be delighted to dance with you," she replied. "And by the way, you can call me Lily."

As Spike pulled her into his arms and out onto the dance floor, he murmured low, for her ears alone. "I'd rather call you Rose."

She looked up into his eyes. "Is that really my name?" she whispered back.


	7. Prince Charming

Prince Charming

The Master stood in the shadows on the upper level of the convention center, far from the crowds. It was not difficult for him to pick out the chosen sacrifice, the brilliantly hued dress she wore made her stand out even in a room full of brightly colored peacocks. He studied her as carefully as he could from his far-off vantage point. Pretty, which was nice enough, but not strictly necessary. Still, it spoke well of those making the offering that they were willing to go the extra mile to make an attractive sacrifice. Graceful, certainly. That became quite apparent when she took to the dance floor with.., a vampire? He looked again, as if he thought his eyes might be deceiving him. But no, all the signs were there. The leather-clad figure currently dancing with the sacrifice was most definitely a vampire. His eyes roamed across the room, seeking out Richard only to find him speaking with yet another vampire. How many of them were there?

&&&&&&&

Spike smiled at down at the woman in his arms. Somehow, one dance had become two, and then, they had just carried on, dancing because the music was playing. And it felt bloody good, having Rose in his arms. He could just stay like this all night, dancing, breathing in her scent. His idea of heaven. But she was asking him a question.

"Are those children really ours?" He could understand all the questions, but it galled him no end that she had to ask them.

"You could look at those pictures and think that they weren't?" he countered teasingly. "'Course they're ours, pet." His expression softened, became sentimental. "Ariel looks just like you, babe."

She flushed slightly. "Do you have to do that?" she asked softly. "I know you know me, but it feels a little.., strange, having you use endearments like that."

Another twist of the knife in his gut. This whole evening so far was taking the whole pain/pleasure thing way too far in his estimation. For every bit of enjoyment he got out of it, it seemed that the fates demanded their pound of flesh in return.

She saw the look in his eyes, and it touched a chord with her. "I'm sorry," she murmured. "I didn't mean to hurt you, Spike. It's just all so much all of a sudden."

"It's all right," Spike assured her. "According to the docs, memory loss like yours doesn't happen often and usually don't last." He glanced at the time and realized that it was drawing towards the hour that she was supposed to sing. Time for them to make their exit. "Are you ready to do the fast fade, luv?"

"I guess so." She looked around nervously, the very picture of guilt.

Spike laughed. "Word of advice, sweetheart." He bit his tongue, but it was too late. He'd been calling her pet names for a number of years now. Hard habit to break, and he didn't really much care to try. "Move like you've got every right to be doing what you're doing, which, by the way, you do. You look so guilty right now, a cop would haul you in just because you look so suspicious."

She favored him with a nervous smile. "I guess it's because I'm so new to this. This cloak and dagger business," she apologized. "I'll try to do better."

Spike shook his head. "You never could sneak about.., Rose." Good, he remembered that time. He didn't want to make her uncomfortable. He just wanted her back, no matter what the cost. "You're a lousy liar."

"You make that sound like a bad thing," she accused teasingly. She did feel strangely at ease with him, but she just couldn't remember him.

"It is when your life depends on the lie," Spike remarked. "And it just might, this time. Don't see that they could stop us, legally, but seein' as how they were planning to sacrifice you to a demon, I don't think we'd better count on having the law to lean on."

"But what if someone sees me leaving with you?" she pressed. "Someone who knows me as Richard's wife?"

"Then they'll think you went and got yourself a major upgrade," Spike replied with a smirk. He suddenly revised the plan that they had been playing to, which had been that he would discreetly escort her to a side exit, and hand her over to Val who would get her to the relative safety of Wolfram and Hart. But this, this was better, because it didn't involve sneaking, which Rose was incredibly bad at. He wasn't sure she'd be any better at this, but at least he'd be there beside her the whole way. Which was a big plus to his way of thinking. He tucked Rose's arm possessively into his and sauntered across the floor with her, putting on a little extra swagger for show. But he did feel almost that good. Would if only she could remember him, even just a little bit.

&&&&&&&

Angel saw Spike boldly walking out with Rose on his arm instead of making the discreet exit that they'd planned. He just barely managed not to show that it registered with him. Not since he was busy maintaining polite conversation with Richard McDaniels and his campaign manager. But he was definitely going to have a word with Spike about changing plans in mid-stream. Unless, of course, something went wrong. If that happened, which, god forbid, he figured he wouldn't have to say a thing. Spike would be too busy beating himself up about it. But what in the hell was he up to?

&&&&&&&&

A frown crossed the Master's face as he saw the sacrifice begin to leave with the vampire she'd been dancing with. That would never do. It was almost time for her to call forth Hramaas, the demon key that would open a portal to personal power for the one who knew how to acquire it. Which, he did. Even his son was expendable in the cause of his obtaining power. Not that Richard knew that he was his son. Or much of anything else. Nor did he have any intention of telling him. He still had plans for pliable, biddable Richard.

&&&&&&&&

Val gaped open-mouthed as Spike breezed right on past him. By now, Rose should have been alone, and Spike should have been back in the main room of the convention center, being visible. He raced to catch up with the twosome.

"Spike, I thought I was going to take her from here," Val reminded him.

"Change of plans," Spike said smoothly. "And if my nancy-boy grandsire asks..,"

"Oh no," Val demurred. "I am not taking an ass-chewing from Angel for you, Spike. Not even for Rose." He paused to flash Rose a grin.

"Well," Spike grumbled. "If you're not going to be of any use, then get the hell out of my bloody way so I can get her out of here before they catch on to us and try to make her do that demon-summoning spell anyway."

"Do you really think they could?" Rose asked nervously. She looked over her shoulder as if expecting to see Richard and heaven knew only who or what else in hot pursuit.

"Of course not, babe," Spike soothed. "I wouldn't let them." Almost of its own volition, his arm went around her waist protectively, and in response, her head seemed to drift automatically to rest on his shoulder. Dozens of thoughts and images raced through Spike's mind, but he suppressed most of them and concentrated on the business at hand which was to get his precious Rose out of this place. There'd be time for other things later. The priority now was to make sure that there would be a later.

&&&&&&&&&

Richard felt a tingling on the back of his neck that made the hairs thereon stand on end. He looked around carefully and saw a pair of almost-glowing eyes, beckoning to him from the shadows. He quickly and diplomatically bowed out of the current conversation with the very real excuse that he needed to circulate amongst all the guests, then joined his Master in the gloomy corners.

"She is leaving, Richard," his Master informed him. "There was a vampire in a long, leather coat that she was dancing with. She is leaving with him, and it is almost time for her to call forth my key to power."

"Vampire?" Richard had missed the pertinent part of the communication. "The head of Wolfram and Hart's security team is a vampire?"

The Master sighed in impatience. "There was more than one vampire here," he explained, planning to rain all sorts of mayhem on Richard's head for allowing his plan to go awry. "Including the tall, dark one that you were speaking with."

"Angel?" Richard truly was aghast. He would have to see if there was a way that he could learn to identify vampires on sight. Although, to be honest, before tonight, he wouldn't have thought that that particular talent would ever be of much use. "The CEO of Wolfram and Hart's L.A. office?"

"So that's who he is," the Master muttered. "Richard, I may have done you a disservice. I have obviously sent in a boy to do a man's work. The vampire with whom you spoke has a soul."

"And that means, what, Master?" Richard was totally at sea. The Master had gone to a great deal of effort to see that he had had a relatively 'normal' life. Outside of his own contact, that is.

"It means," the Master snapped. "That a creature who should be the epitome of self-centered evil considers himself to be a champion for the weak and helpless. No doubt that is why he arranged to have our sacrifice spirited away. Now, the question is, how did he find out about it? What have you told these people who work at Wolfram and Hart?"

"Only what I would have told them under normal circumstances, Master," Richard protested. "I had no reason to inform them of any of our plans. As for Rose, all they knew was that I told them she was my wife and that I wanted her to sing here. They didn't even know what she was going to sing."

The Master nodded thoughtfully. "Find out what you can, Richard," he directed. "Galling as it is, I can see that we shall have to find a different sacrifice. But how will it affect your political career, having lost a wife as suddenly as you acquired her?"

Richard shrugged uncomfortably. "I'll talk to Sharkey," he muttered, referring to his campaign manager, who was privy to what was going on. "I'll see what he says. He's had a lot of experience in politics."

"See that you do," the Master ordered. "But I really would like to know what it is that is so special about that one that even the Wolf, the Ram, and the Hart step lightly around her. See what else you can find out about her, Richard. Especially what she was doing before she became employed by Wolfram and Hart."

Richard ducked his head subserviently and backed away. After a heart to heart with the Master concerning a screw-up, even though he had come through it relatively unscathed, schmoozing the backers and lobbyists seemed like a day at the beach.

&&&&&&&&&

"Chin up, pet, keep that pretty smile in place, we're almost out of here." Spike keep up a soothing flow of directives, trying to keep Rose's nerve and spirits up. "You're doing fine, babe, no one's the wiser, so far."

She turned to smile up at him. "You really don't think about it, do you?" she asked. "All the pet names and endearments. You're so used to them that they're automatic."

Spike looked a little sheepish. "I guess so," he admitted. "I really don't want to make you uncomfortable though. It's just that it's part of the way I talk. Calling you sweet nothings, calling Angel a ponce and a git. All sorts of things. It's taken me over seven years just to clean up my language a bit, in front of the kids. Never did quite see the point of that, though."

Her brow wrinkled in thought. "Why wouldn't you be able to see that point of not swearing in front of children?" she mumbled. "I would have thought that one was a no brainer."

He cocked an eyebrow at her. "You've been talking a bit different," he remarked. "Not too sure that I care for it. As for not swearing in front of the kids, it don't really matter when they can pick it right out of your head."

"They read minds?" It seemed bizarre, and a little frightening, but she was quickly becoming inured to it. Very quickly. "How on earth do you handle it?"

A thoroughly shamefaced Spike laughed nervously. He'd been specifically told not to tell her all this stuff, that she had to remember it on her own, and here he was, just blurting it all out. "You just kind of learn to ignore it," he muttered, looking down.

"Spike?" She was looking up at him again, and while it wasn't the loving look he had grown smugly accustomed to, it was a trusting one. "Are we.., were we..," She suddenly seemed to have trouble speaking, and a crimson flush was working its way up her face. Finally, she took a deep breath and just blurted it out. "Are we anywhere nearly as much in love as it looked in those pictures?"

He'd been just about to hand her into the car, but even though he knew it was against the doctor's suggestions, he just couldn't resist leaning down to brush his lips across hers. Soft, gentle, unhurried. "The pictures don't even come close," he whispered, still within kissing distance, although he refrained from breaking protocol again. At least, that was his intention. Rose, however, had other ideas. She put her arms around his neck and pulled him down for a truly serious kiss, and after the first half-hearted protest, Spike gave in and cooperated with the inevitable.

They finally broke apart, reluctantly. Rose looked up into Spike's eyes and smiled at him. His smile. The one that she had for him and him alone. "Spike, darling, please take me home."

It suddenly occurred to Spike what had just happened. "I'll be damned," he said softly, sliding in behind the wheel, more eager than ever now to get her home. "Just like in the fairy tales, hey, luv?"

"Just like in the fairy tales," Rose agreed. "Good heavens, what a ghastly dress this is. I think one of the first orders of business when we get home is for me to get changed."

"Well," Spike drawled. "I'm definitely all for you slipping into something more comfortable." He was smirking uncontrollably, especially when Rose started blushing again. "I missed you, babe."

"I missed you to, love," Rose replied. "Now don't you think we should get out of here before someone notices that I'm gone?"


	8. There's No Place Like Wolfram and Hart

There's No Place Like Wolfram and Hart

As Angel circulated, he quietly gave the word to the rest of the team there. When he got to Val, though, the younger vampire looked distinctly uncomfortable.

"Val," Angel said tiredly. "I know you didn't have anything to do with it. And you probably couldn't have stopped Spike if you'd tried." He gave a half-laugh. "The way he's been fighting this week, I don't think I could have."

"What do you think will happen now?" Val asked nervously. He'd been a basket case ever since Spike had walked out with Rose.

Angel shrugged. "Hard to say. But since a lot of people saw them leave together, McDaniels can't very well accuse anyone of abducting her." He got a sour taste in his mouth as he realized that Spike's methods might actually be better upon this particular occasion. "On the underhanded and mystical front, it's anybody's guess. But as soon as this shindig is over, I want everybody making a beeline for my office. That's where..," He stopped, realizing now that that was where Spike and Rose, if Spike made any attempt to obey orders at any time tonight, would be. Then, he heaved a sigh of relief as he remembered that Rose still had amnesia. They wouldn't be getting up to anything in his office. He hoped.

&&&&&&&&

They had actually made it to Angel's office. To the door thereof, at least. Spike had Rose pressed up against that portal, kissing her.

"Be hours before the rest of the crew get back," he murmured seductively, reaching behind her to open the door. "Plenty of time for us to..,"

"Excuse me," came a voice from inside the office.

Rose jumped like she'd been bitten, and even Spike started. But Spike wasn't flushed crimson the way the light of his existence was.

"Should have known," Spike said disgustedly. "This is all your fault, you know, Watcher. If you hadn't gone and broken your leg, you'd have been the one to go off to merry olde England." He cuddled Rose close.

"That's not entirely fair, darling," Rose protested. "Who exactly coaxed him to go along on a demon hunt? Against both Fred's wishes and mine, I might add."

Wesley sat gaping at them, utterly dumbfounded. "I thought you had amnesia, Rose," he finally spluttered. "So why is it that you seem to remember now?"

Spike looked insufferably smug at that moment. "Just call me Prince Charming."

Wesley goggled at him and Rose giggled delightedly. When it finally dawned on the Watcher, he shook his head resignedly. Where Spike and Rose were concerned, he should have known, he thought, he really should have known.

"You want me to run up and fetch the kids, babe?" Spike inquired. Since he couldn't have her to himself even for an hour or two, might as well let the kids have some time with their mum.

Rose beamed at him. "Please do." She reached up to kiss his cheek. "Who's watching them? Harmony?"

Spike shook his head. "Harm is supposed to be keeping our bird with the broken wing company," he explained, gesturing towards Wesley. "Oz volunteered to hold the fort with the kids." He looked around the room. "Where is Harm?"

The door opened, and Harmony entered, pushing a cart bearing several covered containers, and a large teapot. "Hi, Spike." It didn't even register that it should have been Val with Rose and not Spike. "Here's your tea, Wesley."

Spike rolled his eyes. "Tea, dinner and midnight snack by the look of it," he remarked. "Oh well, the kids can help out with it." He gave Rose one more lingering kiss, as though afraid to let her out of his sight.

"Go ahead, Spike," Wesley urged, feeling a little sentimental. "No one's going to take her away while you're fetching the children."

&&&&&&&&

"What's he doing?" Angel asked Gunn.

"Panicking," Gunn replied. "In a very cool, calm and controlled way. Showing how level-headed he can be in a crisis. Even when it's his own."

"Has he mentioned calling the police?" Angel queried. "A lot of people would, and the police might even check into it just because she does have amnesia."

Gunn shook his head. "Has amnesia is not the same thing as lost her mind," he pointed out. "And over two dozen people saw her leave with Spike willingly. There were even some that said they saw her smiling at him." He paused and rubbed his chin. "Are you sure she doesn't remember anything?"

"That's what the kids said," Angel answered. "Besides, can you imagine her going off with any guy other than Spike if she did?"

&&&&&&&&

"What a fiasco." Richard pulled out a handkerchief and mopped his forehead. "How are the media handling it?"

Sharkey grunted. He was balding, with squinty little eyes, a piggy nose, and a mouth that made him look like he was perpetually pouting. He was almost perfectly round. There was also an air about him that suggested if you wanted someone you could really rely on, you'd do far better to find yourself a used-car salesman. "One of the very small advantages to not being too well known yet." His voice sounded as unpleasant as he looked. Which at least kept him all of a piece and spared people having to struggle to reconcile a melodious voice with his appearance and personality. "The media aren't making too much noise about it at all, yet. If you had already drawn a lot of attention to yourself, then, they'd be having a field day. Rising young politician having his new bride walk out on him at his first fund-raiser. As it is, I doubt that you'll be more than a footnote. Not even a nine-days wonder."

Richard looked thoughtful. "Is there any way we could nullify the marriage? After all the trouble we went to making it seem legit too," he suggested. "You know, put it out that I was set up, and that she just used me to get into the country legally or something?"

Sharkey considered the notion. "I'll put some thought into it," he replied. "In the meantime, you did good, kid. You set just the right tone. Concerned for her, but not losing your cool. You have a natural gift for politics. Just don't let it go to your head. Even the best need someone behind the scenes to keep the ball rolling."

Richard laughed weakly. If he was the one in the spotlight, why did everyone tell him what to do? "I'm still new at this, Sharkey," he said. "I wouldn't know what to do without you."

&&&&&&&

"Do you think it might jar Rose's memory if she sees me beat Spike to a bloody pulp?" Angel asked hopefully. They were even later than anticipated due to all the fuss that had been raised by Rose's abrupt departure. Right now, Angel needed someone to blame it on, and Spike was convenient.

"You are not going to beat Spike up," Fred declared. "And you really can't blame him for wanting to see Rose out of there personally. She is his wife, after all. And he and the kids have been missing her."

"And he could have screwed up the whole thing by not acting according to plan," Angel grumbled. "If something had gone wrong, none of us would have been in position to help since he decided to play it by ear."

"But nothing did go wrong," Gunn pointed out. "Are you pissed because Spike acted against orders, or because it worked?"

Angel glared at him, but couldn't come up with an answer. At least, not one that didn't totally rob him of dignity. "Where's Lorne?" he asked, changing the subject. "I'd think he'd be ready to get back now too."

"There he is." Fred pointed to the approaching figure.

"Sorry I'm late," the empath apologized. "Wouldn't you know, at the very last minute I just had to powder my nose."

"Let's just get the hell out of here," Angel ordered. "We've got to get back and figure out what we're going to do with Rose until she gets her memory back."

&&&&&&&

"I'm sure that isn't appropriate behavior in front of small children," Wesley muttered to Harmony and Oz. "In fact, I'm not sure that I consider it all that appropriate in front of me."

"Oh cut them a little slack, Wes," Harmony advised. "They've been apart for almost two weeks, they missed each other. And besides, they're just kissing."

"More like exploratory surgery," Wesley grumbled. "Couldn't they wait until they're alone?"

"I'd think you'd be used to it by now," Oz remarked. "It isn't bothering the kids, and they missed Rose almost as bad as Spike did."

The twins suddenly slid down off the sofa, where they had flanked their parents. They could 'hear' everything that Wesley had said, and decided that he needed to understand a few things.

Ariel looked at her twin. "Do you think we can?" she asked dubiously.

Alaric shrugged. "We won't know if we don't try," he pointed out reasonably. "But I don't think anybody really understands. 'Cept us."

Ariel smiled winsomely at Wes and held out her hands, which the Watcher took without a second thought. "Just close your eyes and let your mind drift, Uncle Wes," she directed.

"You two can too," Alaric said to Harmony and Oz. "Just put your hands on Uncle Wes' shoulders and close your eyes." He stood behind his sister and demonstrated what he meant.

For long moments nothing seemed to happen, then, the air in the room seemed almost electrically charged, as if each molecule hovering around them had become charged with the full depth of Spike and Rose's love for each other.

It was this atmosphere that prevailed when Angel and the rest of the team returned. They didn't even have to make physical contact with the others. The emotional atmosphere filled the room and seemed about to engulf the whole building. It was enough to make Lorne go weak at the knees and sit on the first article of furniture he came to. It was either that or hit the floor, and he was wobbly enough that it was a close thing.

Alaric and Ariel sensed the new arrivals, and reluctantly broke contact. It was enough, they'd gotten their point across.

Spike and Rose, oblivious to everything else, were still kissing.

&&&&&&&&

"So what do you think, sire? Damage control, or a spell of forgetfulness?" Sharkey was in the Master's subterranean lair.

"Damage control for now, I think, my boy," the old man murmured pensively. "A spell on so many people would be extremely difficult. Not to mention expensive in time and resources."

"Why don't we drop Richard now?" the piggy-faced man suggested. "Before the brainless little twit becomes a real liability."

"Patience, my son," the Master ordered gently. "He has not done that badly. His only error was one that I must admit even I would not have anticipated. And he has the necessary charisma to get into a position of mortal power. Charisma, I should point out, that you yourself are lacking in."

Sharkey's lower lip protruded even farther. "But I'm still the firstborn," he pointed out. "You won't favor him over me, will you?"

"Rest easy, my boy," the ancient replied. "Richard does not even know he is my son. And seeing as he is a human half-breed, I doubt that I shall ever bother to tell him. Unless he becomes intractable and that is the only way to keep his cooperation. For the time being, Richard is a tool to be used. Nothing more, nothing less." He craned his head around to look at a clock on the wall, and the creak of his neck was practically audible. "Being aboveground like that took a great deal out of me," he admitted. "Even with the spells I used. I shall not emerge again until the sacrifice is performed."

"It was supposed to be performed tonight," Sharkey remarked. "Was that Richard's doing, or yours? Meaning no offense, sire, but I did think the timing was a bit.., precipitate."

"And if you had been dwelling down here, completely out of touch with everything," his father sighed. "You might have been tempted to move too hastily as well."

"I meant no offense," Sharkey hurried to fill in.

"I know, my son," the old man muttered. "I know. Now, I would suggest that you kiss your mother good-night and leave. And try to keep your brother out of trouble."

"Half-brother," Sharkey grumbled. He stooped over the old man's shoulder to nuzzle against the spider that was his constant companion. He kissed the arachnid fondly and left.

"He's a dutiful boy, Corinna," the oldster mumbled. "We did well with him."

&&&&&&&

Spike surfaced enough to realize that there were more heartbeats in the room than there had been when he'd turned to give Rose a quick kiss. And came to the realization that the 'quick kiss' had been anything but.

"We've got company, babe," he murmured softly. As expected, the announcement was all that was needed for Rose to turn beet-red.

But it wasn't the assembled fang gang that Rose looked to, but rather her offspring. "I'm so sorry, my darlings," she apologized. "I've been gone so long and then to just ignore you like that. What must you think of me?"

"We know what they think, blossom," Lorne muttered in strangled tones. "What they know, that is."

Wesley turned a bemused expression the rest of the group. "You felt it too?" he inquired.

Gunn nodded wordlessly and headed for the bar, intending to play bartender when it occurred to him that it was redundant. If the rest felt the same way he did, the effect was better than a stiff double.

Angel, perhaps predictably was the first to recover from the general goodwill. "I suppose you're going to try to tell me that you kissed her memory back," he said sarcastically.


	9. Out of the Frying Pan

Out of the Frying Pan

Now that they had Spike and Rose's attention, and thankfully, Rose's memory back, everyone was full of questions. So many, in fact, that they became an unintelligible cacophony. Angel was about to raise his voice to drown out the rest when he noticed a pair of nodding heads. A glance at the time told him it was well past midnight. No one was going to be thinking straight now anyway.

He gestured silently towards the twins, as they were slowly losing the valiant battle they were fighting against sleep. "I know tomorrow's the weekend," he began quietly.

"But time and apocalypses wait for no one," Wesley finished for him. "When do you want us here?"

Angel considered. "How about ten?" he suggested. "Give everyone a chance to get some sleep." Including, he thought, Spike and Rose, and he was sure it was going to be considerably later before the two of them actually went to sleep, no matter how soon they went to bed. But there were various expressions around the room reflecting the emotions of hard working and stressed people who realized that they were going to have a good chunk of time taken out of their Saturday. Again. He thought they deserved a little compensation for that. "We'll make it a brunch meeting."

"Am I included?" Oz asked quietly. He really would like to be in the loop for a change, even though he knew that he did help fight the good fight by watching the twins and keeping them out of harm's way. Sometimes, it just wasn't the same though.

"Us too, Uncle Angel," came a sleepy mumble from the sofa.

He decided the first question was the easiest one to field. "You're part of the team too, Oz," he assured the werewolf. For the second part of the question, he looked helplessly to Spike and Rose.

Spike rolled his eyes, then threw up his hands in surrender. "Not like they won't find out anyway," he muttered. "'Spose it's easier this way. Besides, you never know, they might come up with something we couldn't." He rose to his feet and picked up Alaric who was just awake enough to protest it.

"Not a baby," he grumbled sleepily. "I can walk."

"Sure you can, sport," Spike soothed. "And we can argue about it tomorrow. Okay?"

"'Kay." Alaric's lashes fluttered briefly, and then, he was asleep.

Rose struggled to her feet with a recumbent Ariel in her arms, and made the rounds, kissing everyone good-night. And hello. Heavens, she had missed them all.

Spike waited at the door with an expression of good natured impatience. As far as he was concerned, the important things were covered. He had Rose back. Rose had her memory back. And he was still the only man she'd ever been with.

Unlife was good.

&&&&&&&&

Corinna scuttled across a carefully drawn symbol which covered the entire top of a small, round table. She seemed to be studying it intently, or at least, so it seemed, from what could be told from her actions.

And that was precisely what she was doing.

She stopped a moment, her forelegs twitched, and she let out a small extremely high-pitched squeal, just within human hearing range. Not that there were any humans there to hear her.

"What is it, my love?" the old man inquired, going over to the table. "Oh, that. Yes dear, I know that it isn't finished. But we need the heart of the sacrifice first. It can only be finished with her heart's blood."

Another squeal from the spider, this one sounding rather imperious. It moved to the edge of the table closest to the Master.

"You're quite insatiable, my dear," the ancient replied with a chuckle. "Very well, there's really nothing to be done at present until we acquire another sacrifice." Another chuckle. "Promise not to hurt me." So saying, the old man seemed to gather in upon himself, dwindle and shrink, until there was not one, but two spiders standing on the table. Whereupon one immediately pounced on the other.

&&&&&&&&

"It was the aura," Richard was telling his campaign manager. "It is absolutely incredible. I've never seen anything like it."

Sharkey seemed unimpressed. "Incredible aura or not," he grunted. "Now, we need a new sacrifice. Do you think she got her memory back or something?"

"I don't know." Richard scratched his head. "Maybe. But there's got to be something more to it than that. She started acting a little freaky before the fund-raiser."

"Since you didn't know her well enough to know what was normal for her," Sharkey pointed out. "Then how can you say that she was acting freaky?"

"Just a feeling." Richard looked at the other man, and felt, as he often had before, that there was more to his manager than met the eye. But what it was, he had absolutely no idea.

"You and your feelings." Sharkey pretended to dismiss the whole idea, but in truth, he was intrigued. Richard was far more sensitive than even he was allowed to know. His hunches and feelings were not to be dismissed lightly. Perhaps he'd better talk this over with his father. And, as usual, father was right. The runt did have his uses.

&&&&&&&&

Everyone was beginning to gather, in, it had been decided for convinces sake, Spike and Rose's apartment.

And Rose was evidently the guest of honor as far as Spike and the twins were concerned. She had barely to twitch a finger and all three of them would be asking what she wanted or needed.

Most of the rest of the fang gang was smiling at the tableau indulgently, between bites. Before the children's little exhibition of the day before, they thought they'd known how devoted the unusual couple were to each other. Now, they really knew.

Finally, Angel decided the socializing part of the meeting had gone on long enough. There was serious business to be attended to after all. He was considering the possibility of suggesting that his godchildren go to their rooms when he looked their way and saw them sitting quietly, hands clasped on their laps, exuding innocence. It didn't fool him for a second.

"All right," he conceded in tones bubbling with laughter. "You guys stay. But only if I get a kiss from my best girl first."

Ariel, all smiles, left her spot by her mother, swarmed up onto Angel's lap, and almost literally plastered his face with kisses before settling into his arms with a decidedly Spike-like grin on her face. "Thank you, Uncle Angel."

"Little minx," Wesley murmured fondly, watching the byplay. At seven, Ariel already had most of the males in the firm wrapped snugly around her little finger.

Alaric took advantage of his sister's removal to snuggle up closer to his mother, who hugged him tight and kissed the top of his head. He was smirking too.

There was another short delay while everyone had a laugh. Then, it was time to get down to business, and they all knew it.

"First things first," Angel said. "Rose, do you have any idea what caused your amnesia?"

Rose shook her head. "I remember the plane getting ready to land," she replied. "I could even see this building, we were so close. Then, the next thing I remember was Richard telling me I'd been hit on the head." She rubbed her forehead in pained memory. "I asked him who he was, and he told me. Then, when I asked him who I was, the nasty, spineless, little creep told me I was his wife and my name is Lily." Rose looked decidedly indignant.

"Can't fault his taste," Spike said, mildly enough. The fact that Rose had never slept with Richard had done wonders for his mood. Almost as much as having Rose herself back. "You're just too much of a temptation, pet."

Those who knew Spike of old just stared open mouthed. Rose looked at him like he'd lost his mind.

"Mind you now," Spike added, blandly ignoring all the looks he was receiving. "We still have to take the conniving, wife-stealing..," his voice was starting to sound heated now. "..,sodding bastard out. Oops, sorry, luv." He sidled closer to Rose, filling the spot that Ariel had vacated and put his arm around her. Almost in a reflexive motion, Rose's head dropped to his shoulder, and her expression took on a look of contentment.

Angel rolled his eyes, but refrained from commenting on it. "Wes," he said, turning to the researcher. "What exactly was that spell supposed to do?"

"Well, if Rose had sung it correctly," Wesley remarked. "And Mr. McDaniels is a fool if he thinks he could have gotten just anyone to do it, the inflections have to be just right. But Rose would be able to do it." He had wandered off a bit, and had to stop to think just where he was. "So, we will assume that Rose would have sung it correctly, as she almost certainly would have done. It would have summoned up a Hramaas demon that would almost certainly have devoured Rose as its first act. Then, in all likelihood, most of the rest of the guests as well. Then, it would have gotten interesting."

Spike made an impatient noise. "Watcher, I sometimes wonder about your sense of the appropriate. How can you sit there and calmly talk about things getting interesting after Rose has just been eaten by a demon?"

"Shut up, Spike," Angel snapped. "Since Rose is alive and well, the being eaten by a demon is very obviously hypothetical. Go on, Wes."

"It seems that once the Hramaas had fed until it reached a certain level of energy," Wesley went on. "It doesn't really specify how much that would be, but once that had happened, it would open a portal to another dimension. I haven't been able to find out which one, yet. I haven't had the right help." The look he gave Rose suggested who he considered the 'right' help.

"I hope nobody had plans for the weekend," Gunn remarked conversationally. "It looks like we're all going to be busy."

"I had plans for the weekend," Spike complained.

"Shut up, Spike," said the entire group, minus Rose and the twins, in unison.

&&&&&&&&

"This is beyond weird," Richard groused. "I've had the best investigative team money can buy working on it, and still, no one can find out anything about Ms. Rose Powers prior to her employment at Wolfram and Hart."

Sharkey grunted, and Richard was left with the impression that the sound was appropriate, considering the source. His campaign manager may have been loaded with political savvy, but he was definitely lacking in the class department.

"There's got to be something, somewhere," Sharkey commented, eyes squinting at the report that Richard had handed him. "She didn't just appear out of thin air ten years ago."

"What if she did?" Richard inquired. "We've been going at this like Rose is just your average, run-of-the-mill human being. But we both know that there's more to the universe than meets the eye. What about Rose as well?"

Sharkey blinked. That particular thought would never have occurred to him. But it did give him food for thought now. What if Rose did appear out of thin air ten years ago? And where or what had she been before then? Time to have another talk with father, he decided.

&&&&&&&&&&

"I'm wondering if there might not have been some sort of spell cast on that dress that you were wearing, Rose," Fred mused. "Do you mind if I take it to the lab for a few tests?"

Rose blushed and looked a bit sheepish. She'd never considered that hideous dress to be evidence of any sort, although now, in retrospect, she supposed that she should have. "I'm sorry, Fred," she mumbled, looking at the floor. "But Spike put that hideous thing in the incinerator this morning. It's probably ashes by now."

Fred looked at Angel expectantly, but said nothing.

"How should I know when they fire up the incinerator?" Angel asked in aggrieved tones. "I have enough to do around here." He picked up the phone. "But I can find out from maintenance"

There was a brief exchange on the phone, and when the CEO hung up, he was getting that stressed look around the eyes again. "That particular incinerator hasn't been operated since the day before yesterday," he informed the group, who'd been eavesdropping shamelessly. "But it's due to start up in about half an hour. And the command sequence is so complex that maintenance isn't sure that they'll be able to get it shut down before it does."

Spike sighed, got up and started to put his duster on. Then, he thought the better of it and hung it back up. If he was going to be crawling around in the tossed out muck, and he strongly suspected that he would be, he didn't want to ruin his trademark.

Angel hung up his jacket as well. "C'mon, Spike," he growled. "You caused this, you can help fix it."

"Oh." Rose suddenly got the picture. "You're not going to go crawling around in the incinerator, are you?" She looked positively aghast. "What if they can't get it shut down and you're not out in time? Surely that awful dress isn't that important?"

"We don't know if it is or not, Rose," Angel said gently. He reflected that he, and probably just about everyone else was ready to cut her an awful lot of slack right now, even though in her marriage, most of them definitely considered Rose to be the brains of the operation. But they all loved her and they'd all missed her. Besides, most of them would far rather vent on Spike anyway. It should be in his job description. "But we do have to cover all the bases." He looked at his grandchilde. "We don't have much time, so we'd better get a move on." He strode out of the room without waiting to see if Spike would follow. He was sure he would, simply because Rose's well-being was involved.

"Later, babe." Spike planted a quick kiss on Rose's lips. "Don't worry, we'll be in and out before anyone flicks their bic on the place." Then, he slipped out too, as aware as Angel that they didn't really have that much time.

Ariel had resumed her place next to Rose, having lost Angel's lap. "Don't worry, mummy," she soothed. "They'll be all right."

"Yeah," Alaric added. "Daddy wouldn't let anything bad happen."

Rose said nothing, but cuddled her children close. Part of her said that Angel and Spike probably had a very good idea of what they were doing, and that they'd been in tighter scrapes than this before and pulled through. And the other part of her just worried that this time might be the one time too many. That maybe, just maybe their luck was finally going to run out.


	10. Auld Acquaintance

Auld Acquaintance

The old man's eyes glazed over slightly as he digested the information. "It may explain why the senior partners were so reticent on the subject," he mused. "Perhaps they truly do not know where she come from either."

"There's more." Richard swallowed nervously, and ran a finger around the inside of his collar, which had suddenly become constrictive. "Her husband is a vampire, who used to be known as William the Bloody, but is now known as..,"

"Spike," the elder finished. "We are acquainted. And you say that Spike is actually married to her?"

Richard nodded and then looked curious. "He was the one she was dancing with," he observed. "The one she left with. Didn't you recognize him?"

The Master looked a little sheepish. "Once I realized he was a vampire, I fear my attention drifted elsewhere. My primary concern was our chosen sacrifice." He thought a while longer. "Besides, it's been over seventy years since I last spoke to him. But Spike could be a problem if he decides to become obstructive. What on earth is he doing working with the one with a soul?"

"According to my reports." Richard shuffled through some papers just to occupy his hands. "Spike now has a soul as well. And I couldn't get a straight answer anywhere about the kids. Except that they look just like their parents and read minds."

The ancient's comical eyebrows shot up until they looked like they would come right off the top of his head. "Children? From a vampire? The dead cannot create life." He seemed to be in shock.

Richard shrugged. Most of this was outside of his experience. "There were a few hints about some kind of prophecy," he muttered. "If you believe in that sort of thing."

"I fear that I must expend some energy on educating you, my boy," the old man chided softly. "The prophecies come from The Powers That Be. And it does make sense," he murmured almost to himself. "For a vampire to father children The Powers themselves would most definitely have had to take a hand."

"The Powers That Be?" Richard echoed. "Who or what are they?"

"Exactly what the name suggests," the old man snapped. "Do try to pay attention, Richard. This is important."

&&&&&&&&

"Phew! What a pong." Spike's nose wrinkled. "With only us and you actually living in the bloody building, shouldn't most of the rubbish be paper?"

Angel shrugged. "Spike, there are departments in this place that I still haven't gotten figured out after all these years. But you get food scraps from the kitchens to the executive dining room, not to mention the break areas. There is some bio waste from R & D, not to mention medical." His nose wrinkled as well. "But none of those are in the section of the building that uses this incinerator. By rights, the only organic waste in here should be from your suite."

Spike sniffed again. "If it weren't for the fact that you'd get jealous, I think I'd leave my clothes in here," he remarked. "They're going to wind up here anyway. Can't imagine getting this smell out of them."

Angel rolled his eyes. "No conceit in your family," he muttered. "You got it all. Can't you see the thing yet? It should be right on top. You couldn't have thrown it away earlier than last night."

"And you'd think that bright orange would stand out like a candle in a coal mine," Spike replied. "Especially since it didn't get chucked until this morning." He stopped to fan himself ineffectually with his hand. "When is it supposed to start getting a lot hotter in here?"

Angel glanced at his watch. "About ten minutes," he answered. "That's assuming that they can't get it shut down before then. I think I'm going to have to have a word with them about fail-safes and safety measures."

"Can't blame them for not anticipating us combing through the tip," Spike said reasonably. "And if it's all the same to you, or even if it isn't, I'm going to assume that they're not going to get it shut down and get my precious hide out of here before I start getting strong feelings of déjà vu."

"I hadn't planned on staying to see the whole show myself," Angel mumbled. He suddenly stopped and pointed. "Is that it over there?"

"Looks like," Spike grunted. He clambered over mounds of trash. "Got it. Now why don't we get the hell out of here? And by the way, are you still on for babysitting?"

&&&&&&&&&

"This is it, Uncle Wes." Ariel clicked the mouse and pulled up a file. "That's what I saw through mummy's eyes when she was with that bad man."

"You're sure?" Wesley asked, although he had no reason to doubt the little girl. And he still found it a little amusing, and utterly charming that no matter how advanced the twins' vocabulary was, nor how many languages they spoke, that their concepts of the universe still tended to be so simply black and white. Bad man indeed.

"Yes, Uncle Wes," Ariel said with a sigh. "I'm sure." She looked at her brother. "Tell him Alaric."

"I thought that you were the only one that saw it," Wesley protested. "Alaric was talking to Oz at the time."

"She put the picture in my head right away while she could still remember it," Alaric supplied. "Like making back-up copies of something. And that's the right one, Uncle Wes." He gave his 'uncle' a pitying look.

"Don't be condescending," Wesley admonished. "It's a most unbecoming trait. Especially in a young child."

The children rolled their eyes and then giggled. Sometimes, it was fun pushing the Watcher's buttons. Particularly when he was being so stuffy, so grown-up, so.., English. They giggled again.

&&&&&&&

"Come on, Spike," Angel urged. "We've got the thing, now let's get out of here. If they didn't manage to shut it down, we'll be toast any second now."

"Don't get your knickers in a twist," Spike advised. "I'm in no bigger hurry to turn into a little pile of ashes than you are. Been there, done that, got the t-shirt."

"Just get the damn access panel back open," Angel snapped. "Why did you shut it behind us anyway?"

"I didn't," Spike protested. "I'm not that bloody stupid. Or suicidal."

"Well, I didn't shut it," Angel argued. He gave his companion a searching look. "Are you sure that you didn't shut it?"

Spike threw the dress that had caused their troubles at Angel and redoubled his efforts against the access panel. "No," he shouted. "For the last bloody time I did not shut our only way out of this sodding rubbish tip, you big, dumb git." He gave the panel one last desperate thump, and with a squeal of protesting metal, it finally gave way.

They attended to the business of getting the hell out of the incinerator before carrying on their conversation. Once out, the panel itself gave them more food for thought. Not only had someone shut it, but they'd bolted it as well.

"Is it just me?" Spike asked, looking a little unsteady. "Or does it look like somebody wants the two of us out of the way?"

Angel inspected the ruins of the panel and the warped and broken bolts that were, luckily, no match for a vampire's strength. Before he could reply, he heard the whooshing roar that indicated that the fire in the incinerator had been lit. "Much as I hate to agree with you," he said slowly. "I think someone wants the two of us out of the way."

&&&&&&&&

"If all goes as I planned," Sharkey stated smugly. "The two vampires with souls won't be a problem for much longer."

"And exactly what do you mean by that?" Richard asked. He knew that there were certain areas where his sense of what was appropriate had to bend. He'd never realized that there would be so many. "If something happens to them, especially when it's found out that my temporary bride was married to one of them, people are going to start putting two and two together."

"Relax," the manager advised. "I've got an undercover agent planted in Wolfram and Hart. He's been there long enough that no one would even begin to suspect him. I told him that if he saw an opportunity to take it. He called me just a few minutes ago and said that he saw the vampires entering an incinerator. He bolted it shut. Of course, once the vampires are toast, he'll remove the bolts, and it will just look like a strange accident. But entirely an accident. No one's hand involved in it."

"Did you talk it over with the Master?" Richard asked nervously. "I'd hate to initiate something of that magnitude without his say so."

"You have to learn to take a few risks," Sharkey said blandly. "The Master understands that, even if you don't."

"If you're sure," Richard mumbled. He still didn't think it was a good idea. He wouldn't have done it without asking the Master first. Right now, he wouldn't blow his nose without asking the Master.

&&&&&&&&

Fred made a grimace of distaste as she took the hard-won orange dress with gloved hands. "I hope that a shower is next up on the agenda for both of you?" she asked pointedly.

Spike grinned mischievously, and sidled a bit closer to the scientist. "Where's your scientific objectivity, pet?" he asked teasingly. "All just more bits of information for that computer between your shell-like ears."

"I've got enough to deal with just analyzing the dress," Fred replied, taking a few steps back. "Go away, Spike, you reek."

"I'm deeply wounded," Spike intoned sorrowfully. He turned to leave, and, truth be told, take a shower and get some clean clothes when Angel halted him.

"What in the hell did you get into?" the older vampire demanded. "There's something yellow and kind of glowy on your.., on your..," He broke off in horror as he realized just what Spike would have to say about where he'd seen the odd discoloration.

Spike though, was quick enough on the uptake to figure it out without Angel finishing the sentence. "You been checking out my ass again?" he demanded. "You big, bloody pouf. Go do your shopping around at a gay bar."

Angel sighed. "Much as I hate to put a dent in your ego, Spike," he said insincerely. "But something in neon yellow tends to draw the eyes to it. If I thought my eyes were drawn to look at your ass, I'd put them out myself."

"That is weird," Fred murmured. She'd been scoping out the area in question while Angel and Spike had been indulging in their verbal sparring. "Angel, after you get showered, I'd like access codes to check out the schematics on the incinerator system. If I recall, there shouldn't be anything organic in that section of the building."

"That's what I was saying," Angel agreed. "I'll make sure you get the codes, Fred. And now, I think both Spike and I have a hot date with a hot shower."

"Not with those clothes on," Fred ordered. "There's something stranger than usual going on here. And it might all be connected." She turned and fished around in a cupboard for a minute. She returned with a pair of hospital gowns in her hands, and held one out to each of them. "Neither one of you is leaving here with your clothes. Any part of them might contain vital evidence."

"But, Fred, luv," Spike protested weakly. "You can't expect us to go prancing down the corridors in those things." He looked at the proffered garment in excessive distaste, but made no move to take it from Fred's hand.

"That and nothing else," Fred confirmed. "And if you think I'm going to get a kick out of analyzing your underwear, Spike..,"

"Don't wear the stuff," Spike stated, thereby giving Fred more information than even she wanted. "But you'd better make sure you've got the heavy-duty rubber gloves when you handle nancy-boy's boxers."

"I think you've had enough fun at my expense for one day," Angel observed. He gingerly accepted one of the gowns, then looked at Fred questioningly.

"Right where you are," Fred answered, correctly interpreting the look. "I'll turn my back, but I expect everything you're wearing to be in a pile on the floor in front of you when you're done." She paused a moment. "You can keep your shoes," she added magnanimously.

"How bleeding generous," Spike grumbled. "Listen, do I have to strip down in the same room with him? If he was eyeing my ass when I was fully clothed, I hate to think what he's going to look at when I'm in the buff."

"Get over yourself, Spike," Fred advised. "And hurry up and get undressed so I can start analyzing stuff."

&&&&&&&&

"Good thing this isn't a regular work day," Angel remarked, trying to sound as normal as possible. Difficult to do, as the pair of them traipsed morosely down the hall in hospital gowns and shoes. An odd sight, even for Wolfram and Hart.

Spike wasn't having any of Angel's soft words, however. "It's all your bloody fault," he growled. "If you hadn't been looking where you had no business looking anyway, we could have just left the dress behind and been out of there. But no, Sherlock sodding Holmes has to check out my ass first."

"It's not like you're going to miss the clothes," Angel pointed out. "You were going to burn them anyway. For that matter, I was going to burn mine too. And do you honestly think I have any real interest in your ass?"

Spike sighed and gave it up. "If I really thought you were looking at my bum," he muttered. "I'd bloody well stake you."

&&&&&&&

Sharkey's lifeless body hit the floor with a thud.

The spider chittered and squealed, but the old man merely heaved a sigh of mild regret. "The impetuous boy overstepped his bounds, my dear," he remarked. "I realize that he was the last of your children." He reached up and stroked her. "But we can always have more. We have all the time in the universe."


	11. ,And Your Enemies Closer

..,And Your Enemies Closer

"Spike, darling, are you almost finished?" Rose's voice came over the hiss of the shower.

"Just one more quick scrub, babe, I promise." Spike had been washing dedicatedly for over forty minutes now, but he was ready to swear that he could still smell the stench of decaying garbage clinging to him.

"You're going to scrub your skin right off," Rose observed, peeking into the shower stall itself. "Please hurry, love. Ariel needs to use the bathroom."

As Rose left Spike to finish up, she thought she heard a grumble over the sound of running water.

"Spend all that money on a fancy penthouse and put only one loo in it."

&&&&&&&

"What am I going to do without Sharkey?" Richard sounded closer to genuine panic now than he had when his 'wife' had disappeared. "I've got to have a campaign manager."

"And I have found a replacement for you, Richard," the old man said soothingly. The boy was extremely high-strung, but he was pushing his Master's patience. "He may not be as politically adept as Sharkey was, but he does have some skills that could be of considerable use."

A figure stepped out of the shadows. A man, medium height, good-looking, with thick, wavy, brown hair. He smiled and held out his hand.

"If you're going to tangle with Wolfram and Hart," he drawled in a soft, Texas accent. "Or, more to the point, Angel, since it seems that you messed around with one of his people, then I'm your guy. I know how he operates."

Richard took the proffered hand, it must be admitted, a bit hesitantly.. He hadn't thought that in making off with Rose he'd be getting the whole weight of Wolfram and Hart set squarely against him. "Pleased to meet you," he muttered a little insincerely, and very obviously uncomfortably.

The man gave a self-deprecating laugh, then flashed a smile that made Richard think that the only time he slept alone was by choice.

"I'm sorry," he apologized. "My manners really suck." Again with the smile, and Richard began to wonder if maybe they should trade places. This man seemed to be a born politician. "My name's Lindsey. Lindsey McDonald."

The old man watched the two of them interact and nodded. Young Lindsey did seem like he just might work out.

&&&&&&&&

"Are you sure, Oz?" Alaric asked eagerly. "No more dumb, boring lessons?"

"Just for a few weeks," Oz clarified. "We'll take a little vacation time before we tackle the fifth grade."

"You're the best, Oz." Ariel vowed, tugging on his sleeve until he bent down so she could kiss him. "Can we go to the roller rink?"

The twins had received skates on their last birthday, and going to the rink was rapidly becoming the only way they could get any use out of them. They were becoming less tolerant of the sun at an ever-increasing rate.

"We'll see," Oz replied. "But I can guarantee that we're not going anywhere until the two of you finish your breakfast."

In reply, Alaric stuffed an overly large spoonful of cereal in his mouth, so that the milk ran out of the corners of his mouth in tiny rivulets.

Ariel giggled, but showed a little more restraint in trying to dispose of her breakfast.

Oz sighed.

&&&&&&&

"Do you think this is wise?" Richard gulped and adjusted his tie, but it still felt more like a noose. "I mean, going right in there after they know what I did."

"That's the point," Lindsey replied. "One, it shows that it makes no difference to you what Angel does or doesn't know. Two, it shows that you've got a pair. Three, if you're that gutsy, it may make him think twice before trying anything against you."

"I still wish you were going along, Lindsey," Richard grumbled. He was thinking that speaking at a fundraiser was child's play compared to this.

Lindsey shook his head. "Oh, I have no doubt that Angel and I will tangle before all's said and done," he replied with a half-grin. "But it's way too early in the game to tip our hands yet. Let him think he's just dealing with you for now."

"What exactly should I say to him?" Richard was becoming increasingly aware that he wasn't in full control of things. In fact, a spiteful little voice was whispering in his head, he wasn't in control at all, he was nothing more than a puppet.

"Apologize," Lindsey told him. He then added, in view of Richard's shocked expression. "Not a real apology, he wouldn't buy it for a minute. I'd suggest that you phrase things to give the impression that you're not sorry for what you did, just that you stepped on his toes."

Richard was still looking glum, though. Lindsey laughed and clapped him on the back. "Relax, kid," he advised. "We're going to get Angel both coming and going."

"I didn't realize the purpose of all this was to 'get' Angel," Richard said stiffly. "I was under the impression that we were trying to get me elected to the state senate. I don't intend to turn my campaign into a platform for a personal vendetta on your part."

"The name of the game is get Angel before he gets you," Lindsey drawled. "He already knows that you don't have a problem with taking advantage of a girl with amnesia. You can bet your bottom dollar that he's having you investigated from head to toe. Better find out what you can about anyone on his team." He looked thoughtful. "What about the girl?"

Richard tossed Lindsey the folder. "Sharkey put a team on her, and so, evidently did Havoc & Associates, last year," he informed his new campaign manager. "According to both sources, she doesn't seem to have existed before she started working at Wolfram and Hart, about ten years ago."

Lindsey gave him a long, penetrating look that Richard wasn't sure that he entirely liked. "Why don't you run along and keep your appointment with the nice vampire?" he suggested with a laugh. "I might just nose around a bit, very discreetly, of course. I still have a few acquaintances working in the firm. Maybe one of them can give me the down and dirty on the pretty little lady that somehow manages to have kids by a vampire, but who doesn't seem to have existed ten years ago."

&&&&&&&&

The clack of wood against wood. The now familiar ritual of the daily sparring session. Over the years, little had changed. Although the weapons might change from day to day, there was as much sparring going on verbally as there was physically.

"Kids weren't much interested in their dinner last night," Spike opened up conversationally. "Nice as it was to have Rose to myself for a few hours, you'd best be glad that she was too happy to be back to notice."

Angel had the grace to look a bit sheepish. "We were celebrating," he explained. "Maybe it got a little out of hand." Then, he laughed. "And Rose noticed more than you think she did. She was in my office first thing this morning to give me a good ass-chewing."

Spike laughed, but there was more contentment than humor to it. "That's my girl," he remarked with satisfaction. "The one and only." But the contentment received a check. "Do you think we could find a way to keep people from making off with her all the time?"

Angel fought back a laugh, mainly because Spike was dead serious, and it showed. "It is the first time since she was pregnant," he pointed out carefully. "And no one got hurt this time."

Spike gave an inelegant grunt in reply to the answer that was no answer. "What makes you so bloody damn sure that 'this time' is over yet, you gormless tit? After all, the bad guys are still out and about with nothing to hinder them from getting into mischief."

Angel paused a moment, and it was very nearly his undoing as Spike suddenly decided to pick up the pace. "We're looking into it," he answered a little lamely. "And, we've got a round the clock guard on Rose."

"You do?" It was news to Spike, and he missed a beat. And Angel was right there to take advantage of it. "Thanks for telling me. I'm only her husband. Not to mention head of the department where you got the men."

"And you would have known," Angel said, ever so sweetly. "If you would just once, just once, read what you're signing. I actually thought you might have this time, seeing how quickly the requisition went through."

Spike looked positively chagrined. "Caught me doin' the monthly paperwork," he muttered. "You seen one piece of paper, you've seen them all."

Angel sighed. "Spike, do you really need to hear my 'read what you sign' lecture again?" he asked. "It's not for my benefit, or even yours, at least not entirely. That paper could just as easily have been orders to turn Rose over to Richard McDaniels as what it actually was, to guard her against him."

Spike stood there in open-mouthed shock for some moments. Until Angel's staff nearly took his head off. It seemed to jar his brain into some semblance of working order, however. "Oh no, you don't," he snarled. "Bad enough that I let you win the argument, you stupid nit. But there's no way you're gonna win this fight."

&&&&&&&&

"I don't understand it," Rose muttered, half to herself. "I couldn't remember my name, or working here, or my friends. I couldn't even remember Spike and the children. So how on earth did I manage to remember how to read Etruscan?"

Wesley grinned at her. "I wouldn't put any hard cash on it," he mused. "But you do have some friends in high places, Rose. Very high places."

Rose was taken aback. She was so immersed, and so happy, with her human life that she seldom if ever thought of what she had been before. "Friends in high places," she repeated slowly. "I suppose that it's just about possible."

&&&&&&

The man in the security booth clicked off the recorder from research and hurriedly made a copy of the tape. He was betting that Mr. McDonald would be willing to shell out some green for this. Whatever it was. He did want information about Rose Powers. He sighed contentedly. Just like in the good old days.

&&&&&&&

Lindsey sat in his car (his old, beloved pick-up had died an honorable death years ago), on the street just outside the exit of the firm's parking garage. Just being in proximity like this was enough to open a torrential floodgate of memories. Things that, anymore, he saw only in his nightmares.

As he sat and fidgeted, waiting, not only for Richard, but to see if any of the feelers for information he'd sent out hit paydirt, a large, family-type sedan came inching out of the depths of the underground complex. Lindsey looked on with interest.

Behind the wheel was a smallish man. Very ordinary. You could probably pass him a hundred times in a crowd and not notice him twice.

Belted into the back seat, but still obviously extremely boisterous were two attractive children who seemed to be about the same age. Lindsey guessed about six or seven. A blond boy, and a girl who looked like the pictures in the files Richard had given him. So, those must be the kids Rose had with a vampire. As if to confirm his suspicions, and in answer to some ongoing argument, the little boy's face wrinkled and sprouted fangs.

Lindsey smiled and turned the key in the ignition. His sources had a contact number for him, and Richard had driven himself, totally oblivious to the fact that he was being shadowed. He decided to see just what a vampire's kids did to (snicker) kill time.

&&&&&&&&

"Darling Fred is busy in the lab analyzing some very nasty smelling clothes," Lorne announced, sitting down across from Rose. "So I thought I'd see if you'd settle for me."

A pair of dimples flashed into view. "There is no 'settling,' Lorne," Rose scolded gently. "I enjoy spending time with you."

The Pylean leaned back in his chair and sighed. "Those dimples are like a ray of sunshine to the soul, Rosebud," he commented. "Maybe I'll just sit here and bask in the glow."

"Lorne!" Rose's hands clapped over her mouth, and her face flamed red. As the color began to subside, Rose found her voice again. "Why couldn't you just say that you missed me like everyone else?"

The demon's laugh this time rang a little hollow. "I did miss you," he replied. "More than you'll ever know, sweetpea. And it kind of got me to thinking, what if this is the time we don't get her back?"

"Oh, Lorne." Rose's eyes misted over and she reached across the table and took one of his hands in hers. "What ever put such a morbid thought in your head?"

He shrugged. "Years of grinding away in this place, I guess," he answered. "And it's been getting steadily more depressing every year. Between Wes breaking a leg and your little disappearing act, well, it just got me wondering. Is it really all worth it? Or should I just throw in the towel now?"

"You'd leave us?" A tear hung at the corner of Rose's eye, and it seemed to Lorne that it was waiting on his answer to decide whether or not to fall. "What would you do?"

"I'd keep in touch, lambkin," Lorne protested. "It's the work that's getting me down, not you. My friends here are closer to me than my own family. As for the other." Another shrug. "I guess they can always make room for one more lounge singer."

"And you'll just try to turn your empathy off?" Rose asked. "Pretend it doesn't exist? I know the work can be draining, Lorne, but doesn't it make you feel anything at all, knowing that you're making a difference? No matter how small?"

Lorne gave another sigh and got to his feet. "I'm sorry to rain on your homecoming, blossom," he apologized. "That was just me thinking out loud. I promise I won't leave you in the lurch with no notice." He bent down and kissed her cheek. "I'd never leave without saying good-bye first."

Rose watched as he left, thinking that she didn't want him to go at all. And she could probably even persuade him to stay, if and when he decided to make his exit. All it would take would be a few subtle hints and veiled references to her former status.

Lorne's back started to blur, just before it disappeared around a corner, and Rose dashed the tears away. No, she decided. No dirty pool. If Lorne stayed, it would be because he wanted to, not because he felt pressured to. At least, not by her.


	12. Roller Skates and RoseColored Glasses

Roller Skates and Rose-Colored Glasses

A weekday at the roller rink meant a very small crowd, which made if more difficult to stay inconspicuous than it was worth. Lindsey said to hell with it and rented a pair of skates.

If there were flaws in his plan, they were, one, that he didn't really skate very well, and spent more time picking himself up off his ass than watching the kids. Two, he'd forgotten they could read minds.

Luckily for him, two didn't come into it today, simply because Alaric and Ariel weren't paying any attention to him.

"Watch this, Oz," Ariel demanded. She wheeled a bit nearer the center of the rink and did a graceful spin and continued on her circuit, skating backwards.

"Just be sure to watch where you're going," Oz cautioned. "Be careful, Ariel, you're going to run right into..," His voice trailed away as Ariel skated out of range. Or, at least comfortably far away where she could say that she hadn't heard him.. Then, the collision occurred.

"I'm really sorry." Ariel looked at her victim, noticed he was an adult male, and gave him a dose of eyes. It usually worked pretty well.

Lindsey laughed. "No harm done, princess," he said genially, making a cautious effort to stand. "I'd like to be a gentleman and help you up, but I'd probably fall on top of you."

Ariel giggled and got to her feet with considerably more alacrity than Lindsey had. "That's okay." She smiled up at him. "Are you all right?"

"I've taken worse," Lindsey replied, thinking that was definitely no lie. "What about you, cutie-pie? I hope you didn't get bruised too badly."

Oz and Alaric had caught up to them. "Are you okay, Ariel?" Oz asked a little breathlessly.

Alaric said nothing, but scowled at Lindsey. He was just about to take a quick reconnoiter in Lindsey's mind when his sister firmly ordered him not to. He stared at her.

Before further questions could be asked, Lindsey stepped in, blissfully unaware of how close he'd come to being more totally exposed than he'd be if he were naked. "No harm done on either side," he reported easily. His eyes scanned the group. Oz, cautious. Alaric, belligerent. And Ariel, still at her most charmingly flirtatious. "Why don't we hit the snack bar and I'll get us all something cold to drink?" He asked Oz, but his attention was on the children, gauging their reactions.

"A soda?" Alaric perked up considerably. Rose didn't let them have soda pop very often.

"Can we, Oz?" Ariel turned her wiles from her new friend to her tutor for a moment. But only for a moment, then her eyes swiveled back to Lindsey. "He talks pretty."

Oz hesitated for a split second, then gave in. A soda wouldn't hurt them, and though he'd never tell her, he sometimes thought that Rose was a little overprotective. Besides, what could happen in a public place like this? Still, he felt he ought to make some sort of small show of reluctance, just to keep hold of his tenuous grasp on authority. "Just one soda, though."

&&&&&&

"Why don't we just cut to the chase?" Angel suggested, interrupting Richard's carefully crafted apology. "I don't know what you thought you'd accomplish here, but the longer you're here, the shorter your life expectancy is. I don't like men who will take advantage of a helpless woman."

"That isn't a very p.c. sort of remark to make, is it?" Richard gave a nervous little laugh. He was botching it, he knew he would. He really wished that Lindsey had been able to tag along, then, berated himself for such weakness. He was bigger than Lindsey, so if Lindsey wasn't afraid of the vampire, why should he be? "Besides, I wouldn't necessarily call her helpless."

"You wouldn't?" Angel gave him a pointed look. "What else would you call someone with total amnesia, having to rely on the nearest stranger? It sounds helpless to me. You're lucky that we got her back safe and sound."

Richard laughed again, and it sounded even more obviously nervous. "Did she ever get her memory back?" he inquired. He was genuinely curious on that score. "It seemed like such a little thing to cause so much trouble."

"I'll answer your question if you answer mine," Angel parried. "What exactly caused it?"

"The guy in the seat in front of us didn't want to give up his laptop," Richard explained. "The co-pilot insisted. There was a struggle, and the computer came back over the seat and smacked her square on the forehead."

Angel shook his head wonderingly. So the amnesia itself had been of completely mundane origins.

"And the answer to my question?" Richard prompted. He was feeling a little more at ease now, and it was making him a little bolder.

"She remembers," Angel said shortly. He rose to his feet. "Now, Mr. McDaniels, I'll have to say that you have worn out your welcome here. Don't come back here again, don't try to hire our services. He leaned over, planting his palms squarely on his desk. "Stay the hell away from my employees."

"I didn't do anything illegal," Richard pointed out in a slightly whiny voice, rising as well. He might have the law on his side, but the law was nowhere near as close to him as the vampire who was getting closer to the end of his rope by the second.

"I've been working here a number of years now," Angel remarked. "And if there's one thing I've noticed, legal and right are hardly ever the same thing."

Richard looked him in the eye for a few moments, and saw no wavering. Or forgiveness. He sighed, and started to hold out his hand, habit, more than anything, then, thought twice. "I don't suppose you'd ..,"

"Want to shake hands with you?" Angel finished. "Hardly.. I was thinking more along the lines of having my office fumigated after you leave."

"You're making too much of this entire incident," Richard protested, moving slowly towards the door. "After all, no real harm was done."

"Tell that to a pair of seven-year-olds that missed their mother," Angel snapped, and shut the door in his face.

&&&&&&&

"That's curious." Wesley put down the book he was consulting and started typing at the computer keyboard, drumming his fingers on the desktop impatiently while he waited for his information to appear. When it finally did, it was enough to send him hobbling up to Angel's office.

"Well, they need to look again," Wesley said, irritably. "According to the computer, they're in the vaults. Unless someone's stolen them."

"Keep looking," Angel ordered whoever was on the other end of the line. "I don't care if they're still here or on the other side of the world. I expect you to find them." He hung up the phone and looked at Wesley. "Now, do you want to tell me what's so special about those glasses that you have me ordering what may amount to a multi-dimensional search?"

"I was researching the spell that Rose was supposed to sing," the Watcher explained. "And I found a cross reference for Hramass, the demon that it summoned. The sooner it is fed, and the better the feeding is, the sooner it can open the portal, and the longer the portal will stay open."

"What do you mean by, 'feeding better'?" Angel guessed that was the operative phrase in the sentence.

"It evidently feeds off of certain types of psychic energy," Wesley replied. "The sort that determines, amongst other things, the appearance of a person's aura. When I read that, I remembered seeing that we were supposed to have a device in the vaults that allows non-psychic persons to see auras." He paused to take a breath. "I thought we could see just what Rose's aura looks like and compare it to a few others people's. Maybe the quality of her aura was why McDaniels took such a risk to try to make Rose the sacrifice."

"I can buy that," Angel agreed. "But why didn't you just go to one of the psychics if you wanted to start comparing auras?"

"I want to see it for myself," Wes replied with a slightly embarrassed, half-grin. "Besides, unless I completely miss my guess, Rose's aura ought to be a sight to see."

"I wouldn't doubt that for a minute," Angel said softly.

&&&&&&&

"Do we have to go now, Oz?" Ariel was giving him eyes for all she was worth.

"We were having fun," Alaric grumbled. "Why do we have to go home now?"

"Because you're growing children, and you need a nutritious lunch," Oz responded. That particular response was practically pre-recorded, seeing how many times over the years he'd had to use it.

"But, Oz," both twins whined in perfect chorus.

Lindsey laughed. "Don't hassle the man for doing his job," he advised. "I'm sure we'll see each other around, now that we've met." He tweaked Ariel's nose. "Thanks for the skating pointers, dimples." And to Alaric, "See you later, tiger."

While this exchange had been taking place, the twins had been getting ready for the trip across the parking lot. Wide-brimmed hats, sunglasses, and light jackets, with their hands in the pockets.

"Is mommy afraid that they'll get skin cancer?" Lindsey asked. After all, a regular person, which he was far from being, would ask.

"Something like that," Oz half-agreed. "Nice to have met you," he added politely, and not entirely sincerely. "But I have to get these two home."

"Sure thing." Even though the formalities of leave-taking had been attended too, Lindsey stayed with the small entourage for the trip across the parking lot, and even helped Ariel into the car, which produced a fit of giggles. He wasn't entirely sure what he'd accomplished with the morning's activities, but any positive contact could prove to be useful later on.

&&&&&&

"I'm almost beginning to think that you did this on purpose, Rose," Wesley grumbled. "You know of course, that if you'd just arrived home safely as you were supposed to have done, you could have covered practically the entire Watcher's conference for me by now."

"And you could have gone yourself if you hadn't broken your leg," Rose pointed out equitably. "Stop fussing, Wesley. I took tons of notes and saved all the handouts. I just haven't had time to unpack yet."

"You had the better part of the weekend free and couldn't find time to unpack?" Wes sounded disbelieving. "What on earth could possibly have kept you so busy..," Then, he saw the fiery blush creep up his assistant's cheeks and remembered who she was married to. "Oh, er, I see."

"I'll try to get to it tonight, Wesley," Rose replied. "But I'm afraid I can't make any promises. I mean, there's dinner to make and clean up after, although the children are getting to be quite a help with that. Then, I spend some time with them. Sometimes we read, or watch television, and of course, they have to tell me about their day. Then, after baths and bedtime.., well, maybe there'll be something on t.v. tonight that Spike wants to watch. Then, I could unpack."

Wesley sighed in despair. Spike watching t.v. after Rose had been away for so long? He didn't see it, himself.

&&&&&&&

Angel was leaving his office, truth to tell, just to be leaving his office, when he saw some familiar figures crossing the lobby. One of those moved at an easy, slow walk. The other two almost literally bounced.

He made a quick blind side swoop and caught the bouncing pair up in his arms, eliciting a delighted squeal from Ariel, and a startled yip from Alaric. Then, he was brought up short. There was a scent clinging to his goddaughter that couldn't possibly be what he thought it was. He decided, for the moment, to write it off as coincidence. Besides, it had been a long time, maybe the scent he'd caught just now wasn't quite the same as the one he thought he remembered. The more he considered, the more possible it sounded, and he was about to table the whole thing until Ariel's piping voice caught his attention.

".., nice man that talks pretty," she said with a giggle. "His name is Lindsey."

His consternation must have shown plainly on his face, for immediately, Alaric asked, "Is something wrong, Uncle Angel?"

"I'm not completely sure," Angel hedged, even though, in truth, he was pretty sure. "But we'll find out. Oz." He turned to the tutor, and indicated his office with a nod of his head. "Why don't you call the executive dining room and order these guys something to eat." Then, to his secretary. "Harmony, call a meeting. The usual suspects."

&&&&&&&

The old man listened carefully to reports of the day's activities from both Richard and Lindsey. He sat digesting the information for some time before turning to his constant companion.

"Corinna, my dear," he remarked softly. "I do believe that we have reached the point where the situation could almost certainly benefit from a woman's touch." He stroked the spider cautiously. Sometimes she bit, just for the fun of it. "How would you like to go play with the vampires with souls, sweet girl?"


	13. Freaks and Geeks and Other Surprises

Freaks and Geeks and Other Surprises

"What's all the fuss now?" Spike asked lazily as he strolled into Angel's office. Then, he took in the sights. "And what are my kids doing here?" He approached his offspring and passed out some cautious kisses. Evidently someone had conveniently forgotten Rose's rules on nutrition and indulged the twins with pizza. Both of them were liberally smeared with sauce and various other ingredients. Not to mention how much of it they were wearing. "Your mum's gonna have a fit," he muttered, wiping a stray smear of pizza sauce off his own face. He hadn't been quite careful enough when kissing them.

The twins had been distracted from concerns about Lindsey with the arrival of their food, which was what Oz had had in mind when he'd ordered it. They could worry later. And he could explain to Rose later, too.

By the time everyone had trailed in, the children were finished with their repast and were reasonably sanitary. Enough so that Angel didn't think twice about taking Ariel on his lap, as he usually did.

"Are we finally going to get down to business?" Wesley asked a little peevishly. "Some of us have a lot of work waiting."

"Lindsey McDonald." Angel said nothing more. It would mean nothing to the newer contingent, unless they'd heard a few stories, but the group he originally moved in here should need little more.

"Is he mixed up with Richard McDaniels?" Gunn asked. "Or is he just a side issue by being his usual charming self?"

"We don't know yet," Angel admitted. "But he just 'bumped into' the kids while Oz had them out skating, and the thought of Lindsey palling around with my godchildren.., Well, let's say that I can't think of a way that makes that sound completely innocent."

"That man hasn't been innocent since the day he was born," Fred stated with a little sniff.

"Probably not even then," Lorne put in. "He has a great set of pipes on him, but the man can't be trusted. And I really don't like the idea of him being around..,"

"My kids," Spike finished. "So, you going to fill us in on this or not?"

"In a minute," Angel stalled. He gave Ariel a kiss and a squeeze before he asked what he considered to be the sixty-four thousand dollar question. "Honey, why didn't you read his mind?"

"I was going to," Alaric volunteered. "But she wouldn't let me."

Looks were exchanged. Because Alaric was a bit more forward (not that either twin was shy), and a little more boisterous, most of them had assumed that he was the dominant twin. Now, they weren't so sure.

"Why didn't you want to read his mind, lambie-pie?" Lorne asked gently.

"I ran into him and knocked him down," Ariel started to explain. "And he was so nice about it." Her voice dropped, and her eyes lowered. "Sometimes it's just too easy to forget the difference between what you heard someone say and what you read in their mind. I didn't want to make a mistake and let him know that I was a freak."

Alaric was the only one present who didn't looked shocked to the soles of his shoes.

"Who called you a freak?" Angel's voice was quiet, gentle, even. But there was something in his eyes that said that someone was going to pay for that particular insult.

Ariel shook her head and slid out of his lap so quickly he almost missed it. The kids were coming into their own as vampires. Lorne was the next closest person to him, and Ariel scrambled into his lap and buried her face in his shoulder while Spike glared daggers at Angel.

"You did, Uncle Angel," Alaric informed him quietly. "Last year, when you didn't have your soul. We saw it in daddy's mind."

Since first receiving a soul, Angel had had many moments in which he felt lower than low. This one set new records.

"Baby girl, that was Angelus," Lorne crooned soothingly. "Your Uncle Angel would never say anything like that about you. He loves you."

"I know," Ariel mumbled, face still burrowed into him. Then, she lifted her head, tell-tale streaks on her delicate little face. "But now Uncle Angel's upset with me because I didn't read Lindsey and find out he's a bad man." She looked around at various 'aunts' and 'uncles'. Even without telepathy she could tell they thought Lindsey was a bad man.

"Sweetheart, I'm not upset with you," Angel disagreed. Having his goddaughter cry really was making him feel like the scum of the earth.

Spike was suddenly there, gently pulling his daughter out of Lorne's embrace. "No one's mad at you, precious," he remarked gently. "But I want you to promise daddy that from now on you'll read the mind of any male that so much as says hello to you."

Surprisingly, Rose was the first to catch the implications. "Oh for heaven's sake, Spike," she interjected. "She's just a little girl."

"It's not all that bad an idea, Rose," Gunn put in. Privately, he was on Spike's side on this one. "You never know what kind of people they're going to run across."

"In which case they should both do an initial reading on everyone at first meeting," Fred pointed out.

"I've been trying to get them not to do it at all," Rose protested. "They have plenty of adults around them to protect them, they don't need to be snooping around in people's minds. It's rude."

"Really, Rose, I think you're going overboard here," Wes exclaimed. "The Powers, you included, must have had their reasons for endowing the children with telepathy. It's their first line of defense."

Rose was building up a fine head of steam and was about to demand angrily if anyone else felt a need to tell her how to raise her children, when she stopped herself. These were her friends, and if they were a little excessive in their advice or criticism concerning the twins, it was because they loved her and her children. Put that way, she could hardly be angry with them.

So, more mildly than she'd intended, Rose said, "Perhaps we can discuss the comparative ethics of telepathy another time and you could tell Spike and me who Lindsey is and why he shouldn't be near our children."

&&&&&&&&&

Harmony eyed the newcomer appraisingly and not altogether approvingly. But, she was ready for a vacation, so she'd have to train someone to fill in for her while she was gone. And this was what personnel had sent her.

She was only about an inch or so shorter than Angel, and her glossy, honey-brown hair hung in an untidy, albeit attractive mass of curls. Her eyes were hard to gauge, hidden behind tinted glasses. She didn't smell quite human, though she looked it. Although that wasn't what had Harmony's hackles raised at the moment, if she were some sort of human looking demon, well, she'd still had to be thoroughly screened. No, it was someone new coming into what Harmony still felt was 'her' territory and not even having the decency to have any obvious flaws.

"Okay," Harmony finally said. Might as well get it over and done with. "First thing in the morning, you get the boss a cup of blood. If you don't, he's cranky all day. Sometimes he is anyway." She started shuffling through some papers. She had a list somewhere that she'd made.

Corinna watched with interest. What was being asked of her didn't seem difficult, merely incomprehensible. But, she was intelligent and adaptable. She was sure that she could cope. And maybe, just maybe escape what had been her own personal prison for many years.

&&&&&&&&

The subject of Lindsey had been dealt with, for the moment. Oz and the kids had returned to the senior partner's suite, and everyone else had returned to their respective departments. Except for Fred, who had some lab results to report on.

"Analysis of the dress Rose was wearing revealed almost nothing," Fred announced. "Except that something can be well made and expensive and still be ugly."

"Is that all you could come up with?" Angel asked.

"No, not really," Fred replied. "But if you ever go shopping for a girlfriend, I can give you some real good advice where not to shop."

Angel rolled his eyes. "How about getting to the important stuff, Fred?" he suggested. "I take it you did find something on the clothes Spike and I were wearing?"

"Not yours." Fred confirmed his suspicions. "But that yellow mark on Spike's jeans..,"

"What was it?" Angel sighed, closing his eyes and envisioning the worst.

"Well..," Fred hesitated to comment. "It looks like someone turned a Bromian slug-puppy loose in there. I'll leave it to your imagination just what the yellow stuff was. But tests show that not only is it a female, but she's pregnant. She's most likely been living on what scraps she could glean, but she's probably getting very hungry. I'm surprised she didn't try to attack you guys."

"Since the incinerator was lit almost as soon as we were out of there," Angel mused. "Then it's probably dead now, anyway."

Fred shook her head. "It has a very high tolerance to heat, although she wouldn't be able to stand the flames directly. She probably felt it start to get warm and just crawled up the wall and stayed there out of harm's way until things cooled down again."

"Lovely." Angel shook his head in disgust. Why couldn't it ever be easy? "How dangerous is it? What does it take to kill one? And how did it get in there in the first place?"

"They're not too hard to kill," Fred replied. "But you don't want to do it with your bare hands. When it feels threatened, it exudes a very acid sweat. And the acid is about double, maybe triple strength in the pregnant ones."

"Pregnant." Now the word was really filtering into his consciousness. "Do you have any idea how long it takes? Or when it will deliver?"

"I know the gestation period," Fred answered. "But just from the specimen on Spike's jeans, I can't tell how far along she is. But I think you're going to want to get her before she gives birth, if you can."

Angel rubbed the bridge of his nose wearily. "How many?" he asked. Not that he was really sure that he wanted to know.

"Usually upwards of twenty or so," Fred informed him. "But if she isn't getting enough to eat, some of them might not survive."

Angel rolled his eyes. "And just for the sake of information, what will these slug-puppies do if we don't wipe them out?"

&&&&&&&&

"Find another poor, unsuspecting sod to do your dirty work," Spike advised. "Because I am not wading through that muck again." He gave an experimental sniff. "Swear I can still smell it on me."

"A human wouldn't be fast enough," Angel sighed. "Fred said they're pretty fast, even if they are gastropods. And if she's already given birth, we could have a whole bunch of them to deal with."

Spike wasn't ready to cave in just yet.

"From what you've said so far," he pointed out. "If we just leave them where they are, they'll mind their own business as long as we mind ours. So what do you want to go slogging in there for?"

"Because once the female has mated," Angel explained, a little less than patiently "She never has to again. And Fred described these things as being the equivalent of cockroaches in their own dimension. If we don't clean them out, we'll be ass-deep in them in no time."

"Didn't sign on as a bloody exterminator," Spike grumbled, making for the exit.

"Where are you going?" Angel demanded.

Spike glared at him. "To change into my Sunday best," he snapped sarcastically. "I only throw out the very finest, you know."

"The company will reimburse you for your clothes," Angel promised, feeling and sounding, tired. But the idea of changing into the worst he had in his closet made sense.

"Why don't you just go sod yourself?" Spike suggested, before the door slammed behind him.

&&&&&&&&

Corinna looked around cautiously. No one in sight. Even her task mistress, Harmony, had popped out for just a minute. She looked down at where ten human fingers were slowly clicking away at the keyboard. She blinked, and the ten bare, human fingers became eight hirsute, arachnid legs, which then began to dance over the keys at a truly phenomenal speed.

&&&&&&&

"Do you think that anyone who really cares about you is going to believe that you're a freak?" Alaric was sitting near by, but Ariel was curled up on Oz' lap like an overgrown cat. She seemed to feel a need for the comfort, of late.

Oz was answered by a dead silence, which hung heavy on the air.

"Well?" he prompted, after several uncomfortable minutes had ticked past.

"Dunno," Alaric mumbled. The twins had always been so surrounded by love that it seldom if ever occurred to them that there was anything radically different about them.

Until last year, when Angel had become Angelus.

And it wasn't just Angelus' remark that they'd pulled out of their father's head either. Their trip to England had been quite and eye opener. It had been the first time in their lives that they hadn't felt universally loved. And there'd been a few of the young Slayers who'd had some unflattering thoughts about them as well.

They'd cut way back on just how deeply they'd read strangers after that trip. Mostly, they just confined themselves to their nearest and dearest, which were, after all, the people they had the most contact with anyway.

Oz was used to them, though, having known them most of their young lives, and well attuned to their moods. "This isn't as recent a development as we thought, is it?" he guessed. He racked his brain for a time when they'd had more contact than usual with outsiders. "When we went to England?"

"Mr. Giles yelled at us," Ariel reminisced. "But he and Willow were the only people who didn't treat us differently."

"Angelus just said what most of them were thinking," Alaric commented. "Even that silly prat, Andrew, was a little afraid of us."

"I know it's hard, being different," Oz said. "That's one of the reasons I'm tutoring you right now. Because you'd probably have a hard time dealing with ordinary people in a regular school. We've been giving you time to learn to deal with it, and part of it is accepting yourselves no matter what anyone else thinks." He paused. "If you think that maybe you need some attitude to help you out, talk to your dad. He's got plenty to spare."

"You're just saying all this 'cause you're a werewolf," Ariel mumbled, even missing the Spike joke, which she'd normally never have done. Proof of how unsettled she was feeling. "Real people.., I mean regular people would think we're freaks."

"We're not going to get into the 'real people' business again, are we?" Oz had gotten a headache from that one the last time around.

"We know we're real," Alaric put in a bit scornfully. "We don't even feel like freaks most of the time. She's just being that way 'cause she liked Lindsey." He rolled his eyes to indicate his opinion of his sister's taste in men. Or perhaps just at the thought that she had a taste in men at all.

Ariel started blushing furiously, and Oz was somewhat taken aback. Rose blushed at the drop of a hat. So readily, in fact, that it was no challenge to bring the color to her cheeks. But her offspring were far more self-confident and forward. So why was Ariel blushing? Unless his seven-year old charge was displaying her precocity again.

By having her very first crush.

Oz decided that he'd better let Spike and Rose field this one.


	14. Take it for Granted

Take it for Granted

The old man was sitting, thinking. He had more than ample time for it at the moment. To his rather startled surprise, he missed Corinna more than he would have thought possible. He was beginning to wonder, as Richard had, if bringing Lindsey into the equation had been entirely wise. He seemed more inclined to turn the venture into his own personal war with Angel than to attend to the business for which he was being handsomely rewarded.

He opened his mouth to make a remark on the subject to Corinna before remembering she wasn't there.

He sighed.

Something small, shy and scaly slinked through the shadows. The old man sensed its presence and turned it inside out with a thought.

&&&&&&&

"She's got her memory back," Richard stated abruptly. "Rose does. She remembered everything except the accident." He watched as Lindsey lowered himself, very carefully, into a chair. "What happened to you?"

Lindsey laughed softly. "Just a few affronts to my dignity," he drawled, trying to ease himself into a position that didn't aggravate the bruises quite so much. "I met her kids today." He just dropped the bombshell and let it lay, watching to see what Richard would do with it.

"That was awfully risky, wasn't it?" Richard frowned. "I'm surprised they didn't read your mind and start screaming for their werewolf babysitter."

"That little dude is a werewolf?" Lindsey shifted in his chair and winced. "I'd have never guessed. As for the kids reading my mind, I reckon I just charmed them out of it. Especially the girl." He laughed again, in genuine amusement. "That little girl's already quite a flirt."

"We'll discuss your love life later," Richard snapped. "You're damned lucky they didn't read you. It would have given everything away."

"What 'everything'?" Lindsey inquired. "Trying to get you elected to the senate, or just basically what we're doing to cover our asses?"

"What about sacrificing their mother to a demon?" Richard suggested. "Even the worst brat would usually draw the line there. And my sources say that Rose and her family are tight."

"Good all-American values," Lindsey said mockingly. "The flag, mom, and apple pie. No wonder you wanted her for window dressing. Any chance you can get her back?"

Richard shook his head. "I very much doubt it," he replied. "And even if I could, we couldn't waste the perfect sacrifice on my political career."

"Put your career on hold for about ten years," Lindsey advised. "Then go for the girl. She's already a little pistol."

Richard sighed. He needed a campaign manager and the master gave him someone who treated everything as a joke. He sighed again, unhappily, and glared at Lindsey.

&&&&&&&&

"Do you really think we need a gate guard?" Spike slipped on a stack of papers and slid down the rest of the heap on his ass. "Bloody lovely."

"You can ask that after we almost got char-broiled the last time we were down here?" Angel asked incredulously. He looked around carefully, but saw no sign of the elusive slug-puppy. "At least that isn't a worry this time. But I'd still like to be able to get out of here when we're done."

"My vote would have been for not coming down here in the first place," Spike grumbled. "Couldn't just have set out a bit of rat poison or some such, could we?"

"According to Fred, they're nearly impossible to poison," Angel informed him. "Their metabolisms accept almost anything. That's probably the reason she hasn't starved to death."

Spike shifted his grip on the axe in his hands. Bare-handed didn't appeal when your opponent exuded acid. "By the by," he said in conversational tones. "Just how big..," His voice broke off as a mound of trash the size of a pick-up truck started to shift in front of him.

Angel still, for the moment unaware, replied. "You know, I never really thought to ask Fred about that one." Then, his eyes practically bugged out of his head as the trash heap shifted even further. "Oh shit."

Spike gave him a nasty smile. "Come on then, Peaches," he cooed sweetly. "Time to do the hero thing."

&&&&&&&&&

"Wow." Angel goggled at Wesley through the.., well.., goggles he was wearing. "It's a little crooked, Wes. Do you think it could have anything to do with your leg being broken?"

"What's crooked?" Wesley demanded suspiciously. Then, he did a double take at the vampire's eyewear and put two and two together. "I'm quite sure that my aura isn't crooked," he muttered with a decided sniff.

"It isn't." Angel laughed. "Just yanking your chain, Wesley. But these..," He waved the spectacles around. "These things are really amazing."

"Let me." The Watcher made an impatient grab for them, and settled them onto his nose. He squinted, then, his brow wrinkled. "Funny, I'd have thought you'd have a lot.., more spectacular aura. But it's just a dim glow." He sounded truly disappointed.

Angel shrugged. "At least I've got one," he replied, feet scuffing at the carpeting. "Harmony doesn't, and neither does Val. Think it might be the champion thing?" He fought the urge to cross his fingers that that was it. If it was in the realm of the soul, he knew, just knew, that he wouldn't be able to resist taking a peek at Spike's aura. And he had a nasty feeling he'd suffer in comparison.

Wesley was already reaching for his crutches. "Shall we go?" he suggested. "I'm really curious as to just what Rose's aura looks like."

"What about the kids?" Angel inquired. "I'm betting that they're something special too."

"Yes," Wes reflected. "The children, being instruments of prophecy ought to have incredible auras themselves." He paused and thought. "And it wouldn't surprise me if Spike..,"

"Please don't say it," Angel interrupted. "Because that's one that I really don't want to know."

Wesley grinned at him. "When are you and Spike going to get over that childish rivalry of yours?" he asked, not really expecting an answer.

He didn't get one, either. At least, not a verbal one. Instead, Angel just settled for giving him a dirty look.

&&&&&&&&&

Ariel's little nose wrinkled up. "Daddy, you smell bad."

Spike knew he smelled bad, especially now, with slug-puppy guts added to the reek. But, somehow, it wounded him to hear the pronouncement from his beloved daughter. "I'll tell the next monster not to nest in the rubbish tip," he grumbled. He ached, he stank, and he had an acid burn on one arm that hurt like a bloody bitch. Then, he comes home to his nearest and dearest..,

Alaric held out a trash bag. "Mummy said you'd want this for your clothes."

Spike took the bag. He could hardly deny that he was going to chuck what he was wearing, but really. Couldn't a bloke expect at least a little word of.., He then noticed that both children were giving him an odd look.

"What?" he asked cautiously.

Ariel gave him a heart-melting smile. "But daddy, we thought you knew," she exclaimed in mild protest. She exchanged a look with her brother.

Alaric nodded thoughtfully, suddenly looking wise beyond his tender years. "We have been taking him for granted." He spoke to his sister, but his eyes were still on his father.

At that moment, Spike saw in his daughter's eyes nothing but an awe-struck adoration that warmed his soul.

"You're why we don't see the monsters when we go to sleep," she murmured. "You're the reason we can go to sleep. Because you're there to protect us."

Alaric looked a little embarrassed, but nodded in agreement. "What she said," he muttered. He started to take a step towards Spike, then halted. "Could we save the rest of the mushy stuff till later, dad? You rank."

Spike grinned down at them, although he felt more like crowing. But, not in front of the kids. Had to set a good example. "You two run and see what your mum's got for your dinner while I scrub this muck off." He watched them obediently trot away and then started stripping off his reeking clothes, whistling a merry tune.

&&&&&&&&

Harmony went over Corinna's work with an extremely critical eye, and was a bit miffed that she couldn't find anything wrong. She started to pout, but then realized that if Corinna had turned out to be a big screw-up, it could jeopardize her vacation.

"You've got the list I gave you?" Just because Harm wasn't going to pout didn't mean she wasn't going to exert her miniscule amount of authority to make a pain of herself.

"Yes, Harmony." It just wasn't fair. The woman had a low, sultry, sexy voice besides being a knockout.

"And I showed you where the supplies are all kept, right?" Harmony was like a dog with a bone.

"I even remember that I should warm Angel's blood to human body temperature," Corinna replied smoothly. "Don't worry, Harmony. I won't turn your workplace into a shambles."

"Yeah, sure," Harmony agreed unenthusiastically. At this point, she was more concerned that Corinna would be so efficient that she wouldn't have job when she got back.

&&&&&&&&

Rose was kneading the muscles in Spike's shoulders while he sighed contentedly under her ministrations.

"You sure you don't smell anything, luv?" Despite everything, Spike still had the odor clinging to the inside of his nostrils. Again.

"Just your aftershave," Rose replied, leaning forward and sniffing in the region of his ear. "And your shampoo, and your soap." She inhaled again. "I can't even smell you."

"I can still smell garbage," Spike muttered. "Don't think I'll ever stop breathing in the smell."

"Are you going to tell me what was going on with you and the children tonight?" Rose ran her hands down Spike's bare back one last time, just savoring the feel of him, before she rolled off onto her side of the bed. "I don't know when I've ever seen them so impressed with you before. I thought they were a little more matter of fact about you killing monsters."

"That was kind of the point," Spike said, pulling Rose into his arms and burying his face in the curve of her neck. He loved the smell of her even without wanting to get the clinging scent of garbage out of his nose. "I was feeling a bit put out that all anybody could do was tell me how bad I smelled. Feeling a bit unappreciated, to be honest."

"But, Spike." Rose turned in his arms so she could face him. "We..," She broke off as Spike silenced her with a kiss.

"I know, babe," he whispered against her lips. "I know now. I probably should have known all along."

Rose thought of several things she could say on the subject, but instead, let her eyes do the talking this time, telling him how much she loved and trusted him. The effect was marred, however, by a mischievous twinkle that crept in.

"I believe that tradition has it," she murmured. "That a heroes reward for slaying the monster is a chaste kiss." She demonstrated, then moved as though she intended to roll over and go to sleep.

Spike had caught the impish gleam, however, so he wasn't having it.

"Chaste kiss, my ass," he muttered, running his hands over her suggestively. "I'm gonna shag your brains out, sweetheart."

"There's a whole school of thought," Rose began, a little breathlessly.

"That thinks I already have," Spike finished for her. By now, it was an old joke. "Bugger them."

&&&&&&&&

Corinna scuttled out of the way as one of the cleaning crew wielded a feather duster and stared at the miscreant in annoyance. She'd just finished spinning the web. She didn't really need it, she'd eaten in human form, and she suspected that feeding would be sparse here. But it had been a nice little homey touch, and now it was completely destroyed. She was about to begin weaving a new one when the janitor came towards her with an aerosol can in his hand, and she made a hasty retreat.

At long last, the cleaners departed, and Corinna was free to go about her occasions. Upon careful consideration, this time she wove her web on the underside of the desk. There really wasn't very much to observe now, anyway, and at least her work would be protected here. She settled into the corner of her retreat and slept.

&&&&&&&&

Lindsey held the bottle up to the light and for a long moment just watched the condensation bead up on the glass surface. Finally, he lowered his hand, still holding the bottle and took a long swig of the beer. He felt he both needed and deserved it after putting up with Richard's whining.

He put some careful consideration into the information he'd picked up over the course of the day. So now Angel had a buddy who was also a vampire with a soul. Just the thought of another Angel, the only image Lindsey could produce, was enough to make him gag.

What else was there to look at? A duty-struck werewolf who had, at least in Lindsey's estimation, absolutely zero sense of humor. And the kids. Precocious as hell. Cuter than a bug's ear. Both thought that 'Uncle' Angel was wonderful.

And of course, as always, there was the mysterious girl who hadn't been a girl ten years before. He listened to the tape his contact in security had made him for the umpteenth time. So, Rose had friends in high places. But just how high were those places? Enough to give the senior partners a run for their money? If that was the case, then it was something that Lindsey would pay real money to see.

He'd like to see Angel dead because he hated him. But he'd like it even more to know the senior partners were no more.

Because he feared them.


	15. Your Place Aura Mine

Your Place Aura Mine

"Don't you want to go roller skating?" Oz gave Ariel's shoulder a soft nudge.

"I don't think so, Oz," Ariel replied. She sighed and propped her chin in her hands and stared off into space.

Alaric rolled his eyes but kept his mouth shut. He looked at Oz and shrugged.

"Is this about Lindsey?" Oz asked, hoping the answer was no. He had given Spike the word on the situation, but whether or not Spike had actually done anything, even to passing the message on to Rose was anyone's guess. "I know for a fact that you love to skate. Are you going to let one bad time ruin it for you?"

"If he shows up again Oz can turn into a werewolf and eat him, can't you, Oz?" Alaric seemed more enthused by that prospect than by the thought of skating.

"No one's getting eaten," Oz replied evenly, trying to suppress the surge of nausea that Alaric's suggestion gave him. "I really kind of doubt that he'll come around again." He gave Ariel an inquisitive look, then gave one of her pigtails a gentle tug. "So, are we on for this or what?"

Ariel's eyes nearly crossed, so hard did she think it over. "Will you hold my hands when I skate backwards so I don't run into anybody?"

Oz smiled at her and pulled her out of her chair for a hug. "It's a date." He released her. "Get your skates, guys." He scratched his head as the twins left the room, sure he was forgetting something. He remembered.

"And be sure to use the bathroom before we leave," he yelled after them.

&&&&&&&&

"Utterly amazing," Wesley remarked, eyeing Rose up and down while wearing the magic goggles. "No wonder they thought you'd be the ideal sacrifice, Rose."

Rose looked at her supervisor like he'd lost his mind, then turned her gaze to Angel, to see if he could make sense of it for her. But Angel's attention wasn't focused any farther than her aura either.

"Quit hogging them, Wes," Angel complained, reaching over the Watcher's head to remove the goggles himself. "Didn't you ever learn to share?"

"You wouldn't have even known about those glasses if I hadn't told you about them," Wesley sulked.

Rose brought one foot firmly down on the floor to get their attention. "I think the two of you had better tell me what you're up to instead of spending all your time looking at me through those creepy glasses and bickering."

"The rosy tones get red when she's mad," Angel observed. "And they're getting redder." He suddenly realized the import of what he was saying and snatched the spectacles from his own face. "We were just checking out your aura, Rose."

"I see," said Rose, in forced, even tones. "Are you done now?" It was phrased as a suggestion, but sounded more like a command.

"I suppose so." Angel loved Rose to death, they all did. And she still surprised them occasionally by missing the point of something because she was still relatively new to being human. But for some reason, when Rose started issuing orders, or even almost-orders, people jumped.

"Would you mind very much if we looked at Alaric and Ariel's auras?" Wesley asked, all undaunted. "Since they are the instruments of prophecy, theirs might be nearly as spectacular as yours."

Rose frowned and puzzled over it a moment. True, there was no real harm to be done. But the other side of the argument said it was just plain snoopy. She couldn't find what she considered to be a happy medium herself, so in the time-honored tradition of parents everywhere, she passed the buck.

"Ask Spike and see what he thinks," she suggested, then turned back to her regular chores with the extra duties disposed of.

Angel groaned and covered his eyes with one hand. He knew that even if he could stifle his curiosity enough not to scope out Spike's aura, Wesley, who would probably stick to him like a limpet, would have to look. And give him a full report whether he wanted one or not. He was starting to feel like this was going to be a very bad day.

&&&&&&&

Glowing orange eyes gave Lindsey a long, assessing look. But what the judgment was, Lindsey couldn't even begin to guess.

"What man want?" the blue-gray possessor of the eyes demanded. "I's time is valuable."

Lindsey shoved a couple of bills at the demon. "I heard you were one of the best sources of information around," he replied, forming the rest of his cash into a dingy, green fan to which the Q'xlzr's eyes were riveted.

"You be hearing right," it said smugly. "I be having all kinds of important clients."

"I want the skinny on what's going on at Wolfram and Hart," Lindsey drawled. "Don't bother with the piddly little shit either. Go straight to the top."

"You want I to find out what boss vampire being up to?" The Q'xlzr's ears were performing some odd acrobatics.

"You know him?" Lindsey's eyebrows shot up, although he guessed he shouldn't have been surprised. An informant with a reputation like this on had, well, Angel would certainly have heard of it.

"Sometimes I be doing jobs for he," the little demon hedged, carefully omitting the fact that Angel actually had it on retainer.

Lindsey frowned fleetingly, then relaxed. Everyone who knew anything about them knew how mercenary Q'xlzrs were. Their only loyalty was to money, and that, he had.

If Lindsey's gears were turning, it was as nothing compared to the whirl the Q'xlzr's mind was in. It eyed Lindsey cautiously and did its own version of a shrug, which involved its ears rather than its non-existent shoulders. It decided to play the man along and take his money. Then, it could go and collect more money from the boss vampire for filling him in on what this one was up to.

"That be all you be wanting?" it inquired. "Wanting to know about boss vampire?"

Lindsey considered. "That's the main thing," he finally conceded. "But I'll tack on a nice bonus for everything you can find out about a girl named Rose." He pressed a few more bills into the Q'xlzr's spindly, little hand.

Even while the little demon nodded in thoughtful agreement, its ears curled in consternation. The man wanted to know about Rose. Uncharacteristically, it didn't even consider the bonus offered. Rose was its friend. But what to do now? It decided to table the problem until it could ask the boss vampire. Or maybe Rose's vampire. Rose's vampire with the pale hair and the hot temper just might want to know that there was someone asking questions about his mate.

The Q'xlzr demon was indeed happy. A double opportunity. Not only a chance to do its friend a good turn, but it could also make money doing it.

Life was very good.

&&&&&&&&&&&

"You're even broodier than usual today," Spike remarked, nailing Angel in the stomach with a roundhouse that doubled him over. "Is that aura thing still bothering you?"

"We shouldn't have them at all," Angel wheezed, trying to find breath to speak. "Only living things have auras." The memory of Wesley yanking the goggles off with a yelp at the white-hot radiance of Spike's aura was going to haunt him.

"We're sort of alive." Spike circled his grandsire warily. He'd never seen Angel quite like this before. Then, it suddenly dawned on him.

"You're jealous!" Spike exclaimed. "Straight up, no kidding around, jealous. Of me. Whatsamatter ponce? Is mine bigger than yours?"

"I am not jealous of you," Angel snapped, watching in dismay as Spike jerked his head neatly out of the way to avoid a left hook. Angel's response was automatic. Of course he couldn't possibly be jealous. Not of Spike. So why did he have this knotted, gnawing feeling in the pit of his stomach that had nothing to do with Spike hitting him?

He'd been lost in thought for what would, in a real fight, be a dangerously long time. And yet, Spike had not taken advantage of it. He looked at his grandchilde questioningly, and found himself on the receiving end of a similar gaze from Spike.

After a while, the awkward factor became overpowering, and both vampires dropped their eyes to the floor.

"Don't really suppose we need to tell anyone," Spike said a bit diffidently. "Keep it our little secret."

"Won't work," Angel mumbled, leaning against the wall. "Wesley is probably already writing a monograph for the Watcher's Council about it. And that's not even counting everyone he might have told along the way. Why should it make a difference to you? As you so eloquently put it, yours is bigger than mine."

For a moment, Spike looked almost embarrassed. "And I've got a wife, and kids, and you've had a soul for over a hundred years. Doesn't seem right somehow." Then, embarrassed became shocked horror. "Are we bonding?"

Angel grinned suddenly. "Bond with this," he suggested. And aimed a right cross at Spike's eye.

&&&&&&&&&

"I expect not only progress reports, Richard," the old man snapped. "I expect there to actually be progress. Have you found another sacrifice?"

Richard gave a non-commital shrug. "A few possibilities," he mumbled. "But nothing like Rose."

"Who will obviously not do," the ancient growled, his small store of patience completely exhausted. "She knows what we're about now. She would never sing the spell."

"Maybe she would," Richard mused. "She might be hypnotized into it. Or coerced."

He had the old man's full attention now. "Coerced?" he echoed. "How?"

"Probably the easiest way would be to take her family hostage," Richard replied. "I think she's the sort of woman who'd happily let the world go to hell to save her family."

"Do nothing towards that end just yet," his master ordered. "I must examine this plan for possible flaws. Too much depends on this for one small detail to ruin everything."

Richard nodded his head thoughtfully. "I understand, master," he murmured subserviently. "What, if any of this, do you wish me to relay to Lindsey?"

A furrow appeared in the elder's brow. "Tell him nothing, for the moment," he decided. "Allow him to continue with his little games. They may provide a useful diversion."

"It shall be as you wish, master." Richard bowed formally, and left.

&&&&&&&&

"Can I get you anything, sir?" Corinna asked as Angel returned to the office from his sparring session.

For the first time all day, Angel noticed that Harmony's replacement was extremely attractive. He sneaked a surreptitious peek at her ring finger and found it to be bare. He also flashed on the long, lonely years both behind and ahead of him, and decided they were going to go on that way if he continued as he was.

"Not right now, Corinna, thank you." He flashed her a smile, then, his confidence took a nose dive, but he soldiered on, regardless. "Um.., I don't generally make a habit of this, but.., um.., would you like to go out with me?"

"I'd love to," she purred, looking over the tops of her tinted lenses and giving him a glimpse of amber eyes.

"Friday night? About 8:00?" He was almost in a state of shock that she'd said yes.

"It sounds great," Corinna replied. She looked the vampire over appraisingly. True, she had been sent here merely to gather information, but what was wrong with having a little fun? It had been such a long time. "Casual or dressy?"

"Dressy?" Why was he making everything sound like a question? She was going to wind up thinking he was a complete jerk.

Corinna flashed him a smile that had physical as well as psychological effects. "I'll be looking forward to it, sir."

"Angel," he corrected her. He wasn't all that comfortable with sir, anyway. And it just wasn't right for a woman he was seeing, or at least, going to be seeing, to call him sir.

"Angel." Her voice washed over his senses like a silken caress.

It suddenly occurred to him that it was only Tuesday, and having come to that realization, Friday seemed an awful long way off.

&&&&&&&&&

"Hello, Thora," Lindsey greeted the middle-aged woman that answered his knock.

"Mr. McDonald," she said stiffly. "I'm sorry, but I no longer work for Wolfram and Hart."

"Neither do I," Lindsey replied, pushing past her, letting himself into the place. He checked the cramped, efficiency apartment out. "My, my, you have come down in the world, haven't you?"

"If you're not here for Wolfram and Hart," Thora snapped. "Then what are you doing here? Aside from critiquing the decor."

Lindsey flashed her a disarming smile. "Don't get on your high horse, sugar, I'm here to do a little business." He pulled out some cash.

"What sort of business?" The sight of the cash had almost as strong an effect on her as it had the Q'xlzr.

Lindsey trailed the bills teasingly down her arm, and then yanked them away just before he got to her hand. "You were always the best with the mental spells," he remarked. "No one better. That's why I came to you."

"There are all sorts of spells," Thora pointed out. "You're going to have to be more specific, Mr. McDonald." Her eyes still hadn't left the money.

He smiled again, turning on the charm for all it was worth. Which probably wasn't much when compared to the money. "I need a spell to protect me from mind-readers," he said. "Or rather, let's say I want something that will let them see only what I want them to see."

Thora mentally counted the money in his hand, and subtracted likely expenses from it. She didn't like the results. "It's a difficult spell," she informed him. "It also requires some rather rare and expensive components which I don't happen to have on hand at the moment. It's going to cost you more than that."

"This?" Lindsey held up the bills like he'd forgotten they were in his hand. "This is just a retainer." He started to hand it over to her when a thought struck him. "How long is this gonna take? It's kind of a rush job, you might say."

"Then the sooner you give me the money," she pointed out sensibly. "The sooner I can get the materials I need and get started." Money exchanged hands. "Leave me a number where I can reach you," she directed. "And I'll call you the minute that everything is ready."

Lindsey took a piece of paper and jotted down a number. As he passed it t her, he caught her eyes with his. "If you have any thoughts of screwing me over on this, Thora," he warned. "Think again. I may not be working for Wolfram and Hart anymore, but I still have a few cards up my sleeve."

Thora snatched the paper from his hand. "So do I.., Lindsey." She smiled sweetly at him, then shut the door in his face.

&&&&&&&&&

"Tell me first, and I'll decide if it's important enough to bother the big man," Spike suggested. The remark was prompted more by boredom than curiosity, nothing going on the last day or so. At least, not at work. The Q'xlzr had made its way into ops with perhaps more ease than it should have. Have to get on to the boys in security about that.

Exasperation was evident in the little demon's voice. "I be telling you when I be telling boss vampire." It clambered up onto the corner of Spike's desk, crossed its legs and folded its arms and looked for all the world like it was prepared to sit right there, doing nothing, until Angel made an appearance.

Spike sighed, picked up the phone and punched in the number to the CEO's offce.

A small, brown spider came spinning its way down from the ceiling. The Q'xlzr deftly caught it between two fingers, examined it carefully, then ate it.

&&&&&&&&&&

Rose knocked, and, receiving no answer, pushed the door open an inch or two and peeked inside, to see Wesley, writing at a furious pace, his entire attention riveted on what he was doing.

Rose hesitated. What Wesley was working on could be dreadfully important, it often was. But what she'd been doing was important too, and Wesley had told her to bring it to him immediately. Of course, there was a certain of curiosity factor involved too. Since her supervisor hadn't noticed her arrival, Rose walked around the desk and started reading over his shoulder. A look of consternation crossed her features.

"Wesley Wyndam-Pryce," she exclaimed suddenly, startling him so badly that the pen point made a long, jagged tear in the paper. "Are you out of your mind?"

Wesley took a couple of deep breaths in an attempt to regain his equilibrium. "When did you get here, Rose?" he stalled. He leaned protectively over the ripped paper.

"I already saw it, Wesley," Rose informed him with much less warmth in her tones than was usual. "Have you asked either Angel or Spike for their permission in publishing it?"

"Er.., no," the Watcher admitted. "But really, Rose, it's not really standard operating procedure for a Watcher to ask a vampire permission to..,"

"And even you have to admit that Spike and Angel are special cases," Rose pointed out. Her voice still carried a winter chill to it.

"Well.., yes," he conceded. "But really, Rose, this is absolutely amazing. There ought to be a record of it. It could be of inestimable value. Especially when I get to view the twin's auras and include them," he added ingenuously.

"I see," Rose said reflectively. "Tell me, Wesley. When Spike gave you permission to look at the children's aura's did he also give you permission to write about them? About my children?"

Wesley could feel the ground crumbling beneath him, but he was so enthusiastic over the project that he just couldn't let it go. "Sealed records?" he suggested hopefully. "To be read only in the greatest need? With just enough on the cover sheet to allow someone to tell what sort of need would be involved?"

The harsh lines on Rose's face smoothed out a bit. "Maybe," she agreed tentatively. "But you still have to ask Spike and Angel."


	16. Skullduggery

Skullduggery

Lorne sat in the bar, sipping rather than gulping his drink, staring pensively off into space. He'd been doing a lot of thinking since he'd had his little chat with Rose. It almost seemed as though saying the words out loud made them seem a little less theoretical. And the truth was the work was starting to get to be more than his stomach could bear some days. He couldn't even begin to count the times when he'd thought the gray areas he'd been treading were actually black.

Okay, so, as the Rosebud had pointed out, there was still a certain amount of good work being done. But was it enough to lift some of the shadows from the gray?

He'd been so wrapped up in his thoughts that he hadn't even noticed the new performer on stage. He found himself humming along with the tune before the realization filtered through that this was a voice he was familiar with. His head came up with a jerk to find Lindsey looking right at him.

&&&&&&&&

"You're not even trying," Spike complained. "We're supposed to be sparring, you pillock. Not doing the bloody waltz."

"If you ever spoke to me politely, I'd think the world was coming to an end," Angel commented. "Would a civilized conversation every once in a while kill you?"

"With you?" Spike's staff began moving faster, forcing Angel into action just to defend himself. "Since when have you cared about having a 'conversation' with me unless I screwed up?" He eyed his grandsire suspiciously. He was pretty sure his ass-chewings were up to date. At least the stuff Angel knew about. So what was the ponce up to? Then, he caught a gleam, just a flicker in the older vampire's eye.

"You're getting some?" There were undertones of horror in it, similar to that of a pubescent humans who have just realized to their shock and disgust that their parents have had sex.

"I've got a date," Angel corrected him. "Tonight, as a matter of fact. Why is it that sex is still the first thing you think of? I know you've got more than that going with Rose."

Spike's features softened visibly at the mention of his beloved. A contented smile started to work its way across his face and he just barely managed to parry the attack Angel launched at him.

"Maybe you'd better forget about a love-life," Spike advised. "Hasn't helped your concentration at all." Having upheld his reputation for being a pain in Angel's ass, curiosity got the better of him. "Who with?"

"Who with what?" Angel repeated dumbly, barely blocking Spike's latest barrage. "Oh, the date."

"Yeah, the date, you poor, dumb, git," Spike said pityingly. "Can't imagine who'd want to..,"

"Stuff it, Spike," Angel interrupted. "After that shot, I'm not sure about telling you anyway."

The corners of Spike's lips twitched downward. "I can't tell Rose you've got a date and not be able to tell her who you're going out with," he muttered. He straightened up and looked Angel in the eye as menacingly as he could. "Look, you bloody ponce, you are not leaving here until I get every single little detail that Rose is gonna want to hear. Or else you won't be in any shape to get fresh with the girl anyway."

Angel suddenly changed direction and swept Spike off his feet with his staff. When Spike looked up, the butt of Angel's staff was millimeters from his throat.

"How about saying please?" Angel suggested.

&&&&&&&&&&&

"Wesley?" Rose said hesitantly. He'd been a bit surly the last few days, and Rose had no doubt that it was because she'd rained on his parade.

Wesley awarded her the briefest of glances, then turned his eyes back to what he was working on. "What is it, Rose?" he asked in disinterested tones. "Is it important? Because right now I've got..,"

"I think I've found a spell to seal Hramaas up where he is forever," Rose interrupted. She'd been pretty sure there was one, but it had taken forever to find it.

"You what?" Wesley's head came up and Rose could see she had his undivided attention now.

"A major binding spell," Rose elaborated. "It's very complex, but once cast, it cannot be broken." She stopped and looked a bit unsure of herself.

"What's the catch?" Wesley asked. That look on Rose's face spoke volumes for the fact that there was a catch.

"I don't know," Rose admitted. "The last few lines are in a language I don't even recognize, let alone speak."

"Let me see," he demanded. But it took no more than a quick glance to confirm that the language was unfamiliar to the Watcher as well. "Damn," he swore softly. "This spell would put paid to Richard McDaniel's plan once and for all. And guarantee that you wouldn't be sacrificed to the Hramaas."

"The thought had occurred," Rose said dryly. "Are you sure you haven't even seen that language before, Wesley?"

He shook his head. "Sorry, Rose," he answered apologetically. "But I'm afraid I can't recall ever seeing that particular language before in my life." Before she could become too despondent over the news, he tried to hold out a ray of hope. "But we have the not inconsiderable resources of Wolfram and Hart, not to mention the Watcher's Council. We'll find out what it means, Rose. I promise."

Rose was still frowning. "It still just seems too good to be true," she muttered. "But there must be a reason for it. We never do anything without a reason." She sat down abruptly, brow knitted, so obviously deep in thought that Wesley forbore to interrupt her, even though, to the best of his recollection, she'd never referred to herself as one of The Powers since she became permanently human. At least, not that casually.

"Damn," Rose said finally, causing raised eyebrows from her supervisor. Rose seldom swore, even though, had she wished to, she had an excellent teacher.

"Problem?" Wes inquired mildly. He intended to tread lightly until he figured out what was going on.

"I remembered.., just.., that the spell exists," Rose explained. "If I can remember that, why can't I remember what language that is, or what it says?"

"You did say that your memories of.., then, were fading," Wesley reminded her. "Maybe that's what this is. Like any human memory, sometimes you can remember only bits and pieces."

"Human memory sucks," Rose observed in a fit of pique.

The conversation seemed to be drifting from the original subject, but at the moment, Wes thought this was more important.

"If you gave up your human memory," he pointed out gently. "You might have to give up your memories of being human. Would you want to do that?"

"I didn't mean it that way," Rose muttered, looking shamefaced, suggesting that perhaps she had.

"I didn't think so." He agreed with her to spare her further embarrassment. "Now, why don't we see if we can find out what language that is, shall we?"

&&&&&&&&&&

"What man be wanting now?" the Q'xlzr demon demanded impatiently. At least, it sounded that way. Secretly, it was delighted that Lindsey had called it back so soon. If the man was that impatient himself, he was likely to make mistakes. And the little demon had become nearly apoplectic upon hearing that he was probably in league with the man who had taken Rose away from where she belonged. Not to mention trying to get her to sacrifice herself to a demon.

"It's been a few days," Lindsey pointed out, trying to look like he wasn't fidgeting. "Surely you've managed to pick up at least a little something by now."

The Q'xlzr appeared to be considering until Lindsey got the hint and gave it some money.

"Boss vampire and Rose vampire were being in incinerator hunting slug-puppies," it offered.

Lindsey failed to stifle a snort of laughter, and there was a nasty little grin in its wake. "I guess that might have been a little petty of me," he admitted. "But if I can't take Angel on face to face, I'll settle for yanking his chain."

The Q'xlzr filed that information away for future use. No doubt the boss vampire would be wanting to have a discussion with this man, about slug-puppies, if nothing else.

Lindsey sobered up. "Is that all you got?" he demanded. "I thought you were supposed to be good."

"I best," the Q'xlzr corrected, a bit shrilly. "Boss vampire be checking on man named McDaniels."

Lindsey grunted inelegantly. "Not a surprise," he mused. "What I'd really like to know though is what's so special about this Rose that he's willing to go to such lengths to protect her. Are they sleeping together?"

"Rose has own vampire," it replied, working not to sound offended on Rose's behalf, even though it knew enough of human culture to know how vulgar its erstwhile employer was being.

"So she does," Lindsey murmured reflectively. "Know anything about him?"

Now the Q'xlzr knew quite a bit about Spike. Like the facts that he was hot-tempered, impetuous, a good fighter, and totally devoted to Rose and his children. But this was the first time the subject of Spike had come up, so it played it that way. Just as it would with any other client.

"You only be asking about boss vampire and Rose," the blue-gray demon pointed out. "You no ask I to find out about Rose vampire." It waited expectantly. A man as obviously used to using informants as Lindsey was would know that often quite a lot of collateral information was gleaned in the course of the surveillance on the main subject. But nothing, certainly not information from a professional snitch, was free.

Lindsey knew how the game was played too. He pulled out his wallet and extracted a bill. "Anything you might have heard about him in passing?" he suggested.

The Q'xlzr eyed the twenty with unfeigned disdain. "I not working for chump change," it informed Lindsey haughtily. "That insult."

Lindsey gave a rueful laugh. "I had to try," he confessed. He added a fifty to the total. "How's that?"

"Okay for starters," the demon conceded grudgingly. "Rose vampire have soul, like boss vampire."

"It figures," Lindsey groused. "What are they doing, handing the damn things out like door prizes?"

"I not be knowing that," the blue-gray creature replied. "That would be costing extra. You want incidental poop or not?"

"All you've got," Lindsey said. "Give me something I can really use, and there's more where that came from." He nodded at the money now tightly clenched between blue-gray fingers.

"Rose vampire being called Spike," the demon offered cautiously. That sounded like an innocuous enough piece of knowledge. And, one that was readily discovered as well.

"William the bloody? That Spike?" Lindsey was shocked, not by who the vamp was, and he had heard of him, through association with Darla and Drusilla, but the thought of William the bloody being saddled with a soul.

The Q'xlzr, through a series of ear-centered gymnastics, managed to convey the impression of a shrug. "Just know he name Spike," it repeated. "Not get along with boss vampire." Another piece of fairly common knowledge.

Lindsey grinned. He could relate to that one. "So it probably wouldn't be too hard to stir up a little more trouble between the two of them?" he inquired. It might not help, in the long run. On the other hand, it might. Either way, it would be a pain in Angel's ass, always a plus as far as Lindsey was concerned.

Privately, the Q'xlzr demon thought that things were never going to get worse between the two vampires. Rose wouldn't allow it, and when she put her foot down, they listened to her. But if it could get a word to the boss vampire and tip him the wink.., "Maybe," it conceded carefully.

"What's the best way to piss Spike off?" Lindsey queried, pretty sure the demon would know that one. He had a nagging feeling that the little snitch knew a hell of a lot more than it was letting on.

"Rose," the demon answered promptly and without thinking.

It could have kicked itself. Literally. Its legs did bend that way.

&&&&&&&&

"C'mon, Oz. Daddy said we could go to the arcade," Ariel wheedled. "He even left us money just for it."

"He said we deserved it for being so bloody smart," Alaric added smugly. The smugness received a slight check as his sister elbowed him in the ribs.

Oz was still hesitant. The skating rink was one thing. The kids spent nearly the entire time in a wide-open area where they were easy enough to keep an eye on. An arcade, however, was practically nothing but dark nooks and crannies. With everything that had been going on, he wasn't sure he liked the idea.

Ariel had latched onto his worries. "Do you think daddy would suggest it if he thought it wasn't safe?" she asked reasonably. Wide, innocent-looking gray eyes gazed up at him appealingly.

"S'matter, Oz?" Alaric asked cheekily. "Is it that time of the month?" He'd heard Spike use that play on words to a confused Rose once, and wanted to see how the tutor would react.

Oz considered his two charges carefully for a minute. Especially Alaric. "You know," he opened up conversationally. "Maybe it's just me, but I was thinking that someone who wants something that badly should be displaying better manners." He waited.

Alaric got a faraway look in his eyes, almost as if he could imagine himself out of the situation. Ariel gave him a nudge, and when that didn't work, pinched him.

"Hey! Ow!" the elder of the twins protested. "I'm sorry, Oz." He gave his sister a dirty look.

"All right, we'll go." Oz caved in. "But the two of you stick close by. And keep your hands to yourself, Ariel."

&&&&&&&&

Lindsey popped the cassette into the player and listened intently. Wyndam-Pryce and the girl again. Well, who would know her secret better than the lady herself? And it was Rose's voice he heard first.

"But there must be a reason for it. We never do anything without a reason."

Lindsey listened to the tape, re-wound it and listened to it again. Then, he decided that it was time to pay a call on his employer.

&&&&&&&&&&

Lorne heard Angel before he saw him, and his first instinct was that of self-preservation, i.e. getting the hell gone before Angel committed further assaults on his ears. Then, the visions came, and he was able to, for the most part, blot out the tone-deaf warbling.

After a few moments, however, the demon just shook his head with a sad, half-smile and walked away in the opposite direction. The prevalent images had been personal enough that the big guy wouldn't appreciate his interference. And everything else had been so shadowy and vague as to make no sense whatsoever.

&&&&&&&&

Lindsey walked out of the underground lair, whistling merrily. The old man was currently involved in listening to his audio tape over and over again, much as he had himself, trying to puzzle out exactly who or what Rose Powers really was. And quite a sight that had been, watching the cassette floating in mid-air and playing without benefit of a tape recorder, watching the little wheels turn as it hovered several feet off the ground.

But the old man had given Lindsey an assignment before he'd made his departure, and it was one that Lindsey was already prepared for.

He was going to put the snatch on Rose and Spike's kids.


	17. A Better Telepath Trap

A Better Telepath Trap

"I think it's flat, Oz," Alaric offered helpfully.

Their trip to the arcade had been uneventful enough, that is, if you discounted Ariel running full tilt into Oz with a large cup of soda. They were both still damp and sticky. But now..,

They had exited the mall, wherein the arcade was, still in fairly high, if soggy spirits. Then, they saw the car sitting there, listing forlornly in a way that only a car with a flat tire can.

"You think so?" Oz fought the urge to snap. Alaric had been right about one thing. It was almost that time of the month for him, and it still tended to wear on his nerves.

"Um.., uh.., Oz?" Ariel began hesitantly, from the other side of the vehicle. When he didn't bark at her, she relaxed.., a little. "There's a flat one on this side too."

"What?" Oz went to inspect the damage, hoping the little girl was wrong. She wasn't.

Lindsey watched from a van nearby, waiting. Waiting until Oz got too distracted with the fallout to have his full attention on the kids, although he did have some hired muscle in waiting as back-up. They'd be there for a while, of that he was sure. He didn't think anyone carried two spares. Which was why he'd punctured two tires.

Oz went to call Spike, and found that his cell phone would not work no matter what he did, even though it had been functioning perfectly well earlier in the day. Now, he was going to have to scout out an operational pay phone. He started combing his pockets for change, and realized that the siren lure of the arcade couldn't have happened at a worse time. He was out of change. He knew better than to ask the kids. Once in an arcade, they flatly refused to leave until their last quarter was spent. Even if one of them was drenched in soda pop. He scanned the surrounding area and figured the best and closest place to make a call would be back inside the mall. He gave his charges a stern look.

"We're going back in the mall long enough for me to call for help," he said in no-nonsense tones. "We are not going back to the arcade. We are not getting anything to eat. We aren't shopping. We're not going to the restroom. Just making one quick phone call, then we're back out here. Got me?"

The twins sighed in unison. "Got it, Oz," they chorused, and trailed after him back into the mall.

&&&&&&&&

"Blossom, could I have a minute of your time?" Lorne peeked around the door of Rose's office.

Knowing what a killing schedule that Lorne usually kept, Rose thought it must be something very important to bring the Pylean to her office during working hours. "As many minutes as you want, Lorne," she replied warmly. "You don't have to ask, either."

"How come all the sweet ones are taken?" Lorne asked as he hugged her. "It seems like there could be just one more out there somewhere. Someone who likes her sweet nothings sung to her and doesn't care what color a guy is."

Rose looked at him sympathetically. "Is that what brought on your thoughts about leaving, Lorne?" she queried gently. "Because a bunch of silly women can't see a good thing when it's right in front of them?"

Lorne summoned up a wan smile. "Not everyone's as good at looking at the inside as you are, Rosebud," he remarked. "Not to mention which, the last time I was willing to believe that a woman loved me for me, it turned out that she was just leading me on so they could use me as a hostage. Bait for bait."

"And you haven't seen anyone since then?" Rose was aghast. The incident he was referring to had been over five years ago. "Did she really hurt you that badly?" Her eyes started to sparkle with unshed tears at the thought, not only of Lorne's pain, but that she'd been so wrapped up in her own concerns not to notice.

Lorne reached out and gently brushed away the first tear before it could trickle down her face. "Don't waste them on me, sweetpea," he advised. "It's nice knowing that you care, though."

"Maybe if I cared enough I would have noticed something was wrong before you told me," Rose replied, avoiding his gaze. "I haven't been a very good friend to you, Lorne. Not nearly as good a friend as you've been to me."

"Rosebud, darlin', you've had a job and a family to raise, not to mention the periodic apocalypse," Lorne pointed out. He smiled at her. "Who gives me neck rubs. and listens no matter what I have to say, and sings me beautiful songs with an even more beautiful voice? Who cares enough about me to hurt when I'm hurting? Who made me one of her children's godparents? Who looks at me and sees a friend and not a demon?"

By the time Lorne got through that speech, they were both sniffling.

&&&&&&&&

"Look over there." Alaric poked his sister, then pointed. Oz was involved in an animated dispute with a vendor over whether or not it was necessary to buy something to get change.

Ariel's eyes followed where her brother indicated and saw a man sitting with his back to them. But there was something vaguely familiar.., She tried probing his mind, then hastily withdrew.

"It's Lindsey!" she hissed. "Let's tell Oz."

"Why?" Alaric wanted to know. "He's not doing anything." His eyes closed for a moment, and then, he frowned. "Check him out, Ariel."

Ariel was a bit confused, but went ahead and probed more deeply into Lindsey's mind..,

And found nothing at all like she was expecting. In fact, everything she could see in his head, and as far as she knew, she could see it all, said that he was a very nice man.

"What's going on?" she asked her twin. "Everyone said he was a really bad man."

"They did, didn't they?" Alaric murmured thoughtfully. "But what we see inside someone's head doesn't lie. Or, at least, it hasn't yet."

"Everyone misunderstands him," Ariel said softly, maintaining her link and picking up on everything Lindsey wanted her to. "He's very lonely."

Alaric was more into action than talk. He gave their tutor a nudge. "Hey, Oz, we're going to go say hi to a friend. We'll be right back." He said it all in one breath, then he and Ariel were gone before the words had time to sink into a distracted Oz' consciousness.

&&&&&&&&&

"What's with the note on the door?" Spike wondered as he and Rose arrived at their flat.

"Let's see." Rose pulled it off the door and opened it. "It's from Oz. He says that he might be a little late getting the children home and not to worry."

"I just thought they were going to the arcade to have fun," Spike commented. "And I'm the one who counted out the money. I know how much fun they can afford. Maybe wolf-boy thought he ought to throw something educational in too."

"I wish you wouldn't call him that," Rose said with a slight frown. "It sounds so disrespectful. And Oz is our friend."

Spike took her briefcase and set it aside so he could pull her into his arms. "Oz knows it's meant friendly," he muttered against her neck. For the moment though, Oz really wasn't too high on his list of priorities. "Does the note say how late they'll be? Do you think we'd have enough time to..,"

"Spike, stop it." Rose was laughing though, and the hands she had against his shoulders weren't pushing him away very hard. "Is that all you ever think about?"

"Of course not," Spike answered promptly. "I think about how much I love you, and our kids, and how little actual privacy we've gotten since they were born." He started in on some playful nibbling.

"Spike! They could be back any time," Rose protested weakly. "Oz didn't say how late."

"Oz has a key," Spike mumbled against her neck. Then, Rose gave a startled squeal as Spike swept her off her feet and carried her into the bedroom.

&&&&&&&&

Angel ran a finger under a collar that had suddenly become very constrictive. Where was Corinna? And why had she insisted on meeting at the office instead of letting him pick her up? Maybe she lived in less than the best part of town and didn't want him to know.

He was about to re-adjust his tie for the umpteenth time when his sharp, vampire's ears caught a small, small sound. He whirled around.

And there she stood, in a form-fitting dress in hues that matched the honey and amber tones of hair and eyes. She was breath-taking. Or she would be, if he needed to breathe.

She smiled at him, and Angel could swear he could feel his long-still heart begin to beat.

&&&&&&&&&&

"Spike, darling?" Rose may have been comfortably nestled in the crook of her beloved's arms, but her voice didn't reflect it.

"Something wrong, luv?" Spike hadn't entirely come back down to earth yet, but the urgency in Rose's voice was enough to dampen his mood.

"Isn't it getting to be awfully late?" Rose asked. She tried to raise up to see the clock, but Spike's arm suddenly became an iron bar, holding her immobile, as the sudden wave of tension her words produced washed over him. "Shouldn't they be back by now?"

Spike forced himself to look at the clock, and didn't like what he saw. He sprang out of the bed so abruptly that he spilled Rose out as well.

Spike made a flying dive and caught her before she actually hit the floor. Almost the exact moment he had her in his arms, the phone rang.

&&&&&&&&

Oz ran a cautious hand over his scalp, and it came away bloody. That would explain the pounding headache. Time to get his bearings. Where was he? He was surprised to find himself sitting in the car, and even more so that his wallet appeared to be intact. He got out of the car. The tires were still flat. That started jarring some memories. Like the fact he'd never gotten as far as making his phone call, and also that the twins should be with him.

The thought of his young charges being in danger was enough to set his inner wolf growling. He had to stop a moment and take measures to calm himself. Whatever had happened to the kids, it had obviously been hours ago, and wolfing out and running amok through a crowded mall wouldn't help.

With a sigh, Oz guessed it was time to make the phone call he'd been going to make before someone had done the blunt object number on his cranium. He reached in his pocket to find some change, forgetting he didn't have any, when his hand encountered a piece of paper that hadn't been there before. Curious, he pulled it out.

'The kids are fine, and they'll continue to stay that way if you cooperate. I'll be in touch with further instructions.' The name, Lindsey McDonald, was signed in large letters with a bold flourish, almost as if it were a dare. Then, Oz' eyes were drawn to the post-script. 'Your cell phone will work now.' LM.

Oz pulled out his cell phone and found that in that, at least, Lindsey had not lied.

&&&&&&&&&

"You're a wonderful dancer," Corinna assured him.

"A little out of practice, I'm afraid," Angel confessed. He'd danced a few times with Buffy, but not since. And before that, it had been more than a century. He was just beginning to remember how good it felt, moving to the music with a beautiful woman in his arms. He smiled at her. "The right partner helps."

"Happy to be of service," she purred, putting the emphasis in such a way that he couldn't miss the double-entendre.

"You're off the clock now, Corinna," Angel reminded her, glad he couldn't blush, and surprised, at his age, that he felt like it. "The idea now is to have fun."

She noticed his discomfiture, but instead of taking pity on him, she turned up the heat. "The two aren't necessarily mutually exclusive," she murmured, giving an extra little wiggle that the tempo didn't really call for.

Angel pulled her closer, so there was no way she could be mistaken about the fact he was happy she was there.

Corinna looked up at him, smiled, and snuggled even closer.

&&&&&&&

Spike was grandstanding, and he knew it, but it was also a matter of expediency. He was holding up the rear end of the car while Oz changed one tire, and Gunn the other.

"You two want to move it along?" Spike suggested. "I'm not getting any younger."

"You're not getting any older, either," Gunn retorted. "Going as fast as I can, Spike."

"Almost done," Oz grunted as he tightened the last nut. "Finished on this side."

"Here too," Gunn said.

Spike dropped the car instead of lowering it. His fingers had been starting to cramp up.

"Are you all right, darling?" Rose was a single, raw nerve ending right now. She didn't have her children to fuss over, so Spike was getting all the attention. Not that he minded. Or, he wouldn't have, if it didn't mean that someone had abducted his children.

Someone was going to pay, and pay big for taking his kids.

&&&&&&&&&

The twins were slowly beginning to come out from under the effects of the sedative that Lindsey had spiked the candy he'd given them with. They were groggy, cranky, and feeling extremely put upon.

They were also tied up in the back of Lindsey's van.

They tried holding a private conversation, but were unable to, and this they found not only frustrating, but also a little frightening. They'd never not been able to touch each other's minds.

The back door of the van opened, and there stood Lindsey, smiling at them.

"Looks like I judged the dosage pretty close," he remarked. "Since you're awake, I won't have to carry you in."

Ariel looked at him, a picture of confusion. "But how can you lie inside your own mind?" she demanded, on the verge of tears. "It's not possible."

"It is with the right spell," Lindsey assured her. He supposed he should have kept it a secret, but he found that he actually did have a little soft spot for the kid. "C'mon, princess. There's a man that wants to meet you." He looked at Alaric, trying to back away unobtrusively. "You too, sport. Let's go."

He led them into a typical, small suburban house, Richard's, to be precise. Then he took them to what appeared to be an ordinary closet and opened the door.

The twins exchanged glances and set their feet, intending to refuse to enter. Lindsey sighed, scooped them up around their waists, tucked them under his arms and walked through the portal with them.

&&&&&&&

Angel was more relaxed, in most places, than he'd been in a long time. How long had it been since he'd done something just for fun? Adult fun, he amended, thinking of the priceless time he put in with his godchildren, and which he wouldn't trade for a king's ransom.

He slid the car into the parking spot. Corinna had been quiet, almost as if to allow him some peace to concentrate on his driving. It hadn't been an awkward silence at all. More companionable, really. In a burst of high spirits, he vaulted over the car rather than walk around it and opened the door for Corinna.

"An old-fashioned gentleman," Corinna observed. She accepted his hand as he extended the courtesy to helping her out of the vehicle. Once out of the car, she trailed her fingers slowly up his arm to gently caress the side of his neck. "So, tell me, Angel..,"

Angel didn't allow her to finish the question, but pulled her into his arms for a long, lingering kiss. When he finally, reluctantly drew his lips away from hers, he asked, "What did you want me to tell you?"

Corinna was looking a little bemused. "I'm not sure I remember," she confessed. She spent a blissful piece of eternity just staring into his eyes. "Are you going to invite me up to your place?" she inquired at last.

"Only if you promise to accept the invitation," Angel murmured.

"Of course _I will," she replied. "I'd like to see just what your place says about you."_

_Angel laughed a little nervously. "I'm not sure what to think of that," he admitted. "But anything that will get you there." He offered her his arm._

_He was just reaching out to push the button on the penthouse's elevator when the doors opened._

_"There you are, you stupid git." Spike's voice emerged from the metal box before the doors were fully open. When they were, Angel saw that his grandchilde was accompanied by Gunn and Lorne, and felt sick. This couldn't be good._

_Gunn confirmed his suspicions. "Lindsey McDonald had kidnapped the kids," he said bluntly. It was only then that he seemed to notice that the vampire was not alone, and appeared to have more difficulty dealing with that concept than that of the twins being abducted. "Were you on a date?"_


	18. Sacrificial Lamb

Sacrificial Lamb

The old man serenely regarded the two sullen little faces glaring at him. They were still unable to read anyone's mind, even though they were free of the effects of the sedative. They suspected that something was up with that. Like they had been deliberately blocked somehow. While they had to admit that it made sense from their captor's point of view, they couldn't call for help or give them some idea of where they were (although they weren't sure that telepathy would work across dimensions), they still didn't have to like it, and they didn't.

"She looks just like her mother," Richard observed softly as he stood gazing at Ariel. He'd been summoned when Lindsey had called to report his success. Besides, he was curious to see Rose's children.

"Their auras, Richard," the elder re-directed his attention. "Tell me of their auras."

Richard blinked, then squinted. He had an expression of extreme concentration on his face.

"It's hard to say," he muttered. "They're.., they're almost iridescent, and they just seem to shimmer in and out of sight. Almost like they're a color the human eye can't register."

"And Spike is their father?" the old man wondered aloud. "Truly amazing."

The twins were, as aforementioned, groggy and cranky. They were also getting tired of being discussed like they couldn't hear what was going on. Alaric was visibly sulking, and Ariel looked ready to cry. In short, for once they completely fit the picture their seven-year-old features presented.

And they were hating every minute of it.

The creepy old man was still staring at them. "If I hadn't believed it before," he murmured. "I would now, he's a miniature version of Spike."

Alaric and Ariel exchanged worried glances. That was the second time he'd mentioned their father by name, as if they were acquaintances. And they didn't think he was anyone their dad had met since acquiring a soul.

"They're not particularly bright though, are they?" the old man went on. "Are they capable of speech?"

Lindsey walked back in as Alaric demonstrated at length that he was capable of speech. Courtesy of Spike.

&&&&&&&&

"If Lindsey took your kids, then what are we all doing in my apartment?" Angel asked. Corinna had disappeared into the bathroom the moment they had arrived, and was still there. Small wonder, the entire gang was here. The trio in the elevator had just been the advance guard.

"He has my kids," Spike replied. "But you're the one he has the ongoing feud with. He'll call here."

"It does seem likely," Wesley agreed. "Given your history with Lindsey."

"And if he's done any research," Fred put in. "And the smart money says he probably has, then he'll know you care about the kids just as much as any of us."

Oz had been hanging on the outer perimeter of things, so to speak. He looked and acted like he was trying to keep a very low profile. Angel noticed.

"You're not feeling guilty about this, are you, Oz?" he queried. He'd been filled in on the entire story on the way up to the penthouse. "Lindsey had this all planned out. No one's blaming you for it."

"Speak for y..," Spike started, but was abruptly cut off by a very sharp elbow to the ribs.

"Of course we don't blame you, Oz," Rose assured him. She was wide-eyed and fidgety. Oz decided that jab in the ribs she'd given Spike must have been a reflex action, honed over the years. "You've been taking care of the children for years, and quite well. We didn't think..," Rose's voice broke. Consoling Oz was one thing, but she was worried to death about her children.

Spike cuddled Rose close and murmured soothing words to her. And, occasionally, sparing a glare at Angel just because he was there.

"So now what?" Gunn asked. "We just sit here and wait for..," He was interrupted by the ringing of the phone.

&&&&&&&&

Corinna had made a beeline to the bathroom the moment they reached the penthouse, and everyone was so distracted that they didn't notice that she didn't have to ask where it was even though she'd never, to the best of anyone's knowledge been to Angel's place before.

She was pale and starting to shake. She looked in the mirror and saw that her amber eyes were beginning to revert to glossy black. Dark hair started sprouting from her arms. She realized she'd pushed her time limits badly. She drew in a deep, calming breath, and slowly released it, chanting softly in a long-forgotten language.

When Corinna stopped chanting and opened her eyes, she was once again the beautiful woman that Angel had been dancing with less than an hour ago.

&&&&&

Everyone had jumped at the first ring even though they were expecting it. By the second ring, they were beginning to recover, but still not sure they could deal. The third ring..,

A slender, feminine hand picked up the phone. "Mr. Angel's residence," Corinna said in perfect secretary mode. "Who may I say is calling?" Upon receiving an answer, she merely nodded at Angel to let him know it was the call he'd been waiting for.

His face looking like it had been carved out of granite, Angel took the phone.

&&&&&&&

Ariel was not happy. And it wasn't like she'd been anything like approaching happy anyway. But now..,

She had made what she considered to be an extremely reasonable request, an opportunity to wash up and some clean clothes.

What she had gotten was a washcloth and a bowl of water to wash with behind a hastily rigged curtain. As for clothes, well, that was another problem.

She was wearing one of Richard's dress shirts (she'd flatly refused a t-shirt). And while the shirt covered more than adequately, she still felt a certain lack.

"I don't know what to tell you, princess," Lindsey said, not unsympathetically. "Even if they did fit, I don't suppose a pair of Richard's boxers..,"

"Eww, gross." Ariel shuddered.

"Give me your stuff," Lindsey directed. "I'll see if Richard has a washer and dryer."

Ariel remembered she was a hostage, and technically, she shouldn't be speaking to Lindsey at all just in time to refrain from giving him detailed directions for laundering her clothes.

&&&&&&&

Angel sat down with a thump while the voice at the other end of the line continued to issue instructions. Finally, it was his turn, and he could barely force the words out.

"I'll need some time to discuss it with them," he said placatingly. "After all, it really isn't my decision to make." A pause during which it seemed that everyone present developed a bad nail-biting problem. "I see. The courier will be here. Of course we're going to want proof that the kids are all right." He looked up and nodded at Spike, who half-carried Rose to the phone.

The phone held between them, Spike and Rose listened intently for a few moments. Spike's features were torn between the deep affection he had for the woman in his arms and the possessors of the voices carrying over the phone, and impotent rage that once again, his nearest and dearest were being threatened and he could do nothing about it.

"Are you all right, darlings?" Rose's voice was nowhere near steady. "We miss you so much." Then, she did break down completely, and even though he held and comforted her, Spike didn't look as if he were in much better shape. An angry grimace, followed by him handing to phone back to Angel indicated that the children were no longer on the line.

But Angel was off the line almost immediately as well. Before he could say anything, there was a knock at the door which caused everyone, except Rose and Spike, locked in their mutual misery, to jump.

Gunn was closest to the door, and he flung it open eagerly. He was hoping there was someone he could hit on the other side. That might make him feel better.

At first though, he didn't see anyone. Until he looked down. There stood a little, blue-gray figure, holding a small parcel.

"I needing to be seeing boss vampire," it said.

&&&&&&&

Richard watched Lindsey return with Ariel's laundered garments and was moved to comment on it to his mentor. "It would seem that Mr. McDonald is a trifle attached to our hostages," he remarked. "It could be a problem."

The old man shrugged indifferently. "For now, it serves a purpose," he replied. "That is my, and should be your criteria in hirelings. Keep them around as long as they are useful. Do not dispose of them prematurely, but neither keep them about after they have ceased to be useful."

Richard listened to, and absorbed the information most carefully. "The parties concerned are almost certainly going to try to rescue the brats rather than accede to our demands."

"Naturally," the ancient agreed. "But they won't even know where to start looking."

"My residence is a matter of record," Richard pointed out. "Any good hacker could dig up my address."

"My boy," the old man admonished gently. "You put too much faith in gadgetry." The oldster waved his hand and mumbled something under his breath. "Now, every record of your residence says that you live about a half a mile away from where you actually do."

"They have magic at their disposal too," Richard reminded him. He wasn't sure he actually believed all the mumbo-jumbo, even though he had seen some pretty unlikely things. Of course, he didn't think it particularly politic, or safe, to say so.

"I doubt that they'll think to question it, Richard," the old man remarked. "They are more likely to believe that the deception is more mundanely based."

"True enough," Richard conceded. "What do we do with Lindsey when we're done with him?"

The old man's eyebrows waggled. "Why, what do you want to do with him, my boy?"

For most of his life, Richard had been a fairly mild-mannered person. But that was largely because things usually went his way. They hadn't been going his way lately, and more primal emotions were coming to the fore.

"If there were only some way to feed him to the Hramaas," Richard mused. "Not exactly the most nourishing fare, perhaps..,"

"And Lindsey knows about Hramass," the master pointed out. "He won't allow himself to be decoyed into its jaws."

"Pity," Richard sighed ruefully. He brightened. "Maybe we could give him to the vampire, Angel. If Lindsey wants a showdown with him so badly, let's give him what he wants." He chuckled. "My money will be on the vampire mopping the floor with him."

Ariel emerged from her makeshift dressing room and shared a long look with her twin and once again, felt frustrated beyond measure that they couldn't mind talk.

Alaric, knowing his sister better than anyone on the face of the earth, gained more from that look than some people would from a lengthy conversation. Lindsey was a bad man. They wouldn't be here if it wasn't for Lindsey. But what the other two were planning (and he fully agreed with Richard that Uncle Angel would give Lindsey an ass-kicking), was even worse, to the twin's minds. Double-crossing your allies. Their mistake was that they'd failed to take into consideration that the twins had a vampire's hearing. Either that, or they felt the kids would not care what happened to Lindsey, and simply weren't concerned as to whether or not Alaric and Ariel heard them.

The twins stood close to each other, held hands and looked from Richard and the old man to Lindsey and back again.

&&&&&&&

"They want Rose." Angel had wanted, even planned, to soften the blow, at least a little bit, but he couldn't think of how to put it.

"With, I am assuming, absolutely no assurances that we'll get the children back safe and sound," Wesley commented tactlessly. He mindlessly reached over and scritched the Q'xlzr's head between its ears.

The Q'xlzr, which had been almost as nervy as Rose upon discovering what had happened settled down with a stifled purr. Not only had it been upset, by the abduction of the twins, but it had also been a bit fearful of being tarred with the same brush as the people who it was currently associating with, and never mind it was under the auspices of the boss vampire and had kept him informed every step of the way.

"They can't have her," said Spike firmly, hugging Rose so tight that she squeaked. "Sorry, pet. We had enough trouble getting her back the first time."

"But what about the kids, Spike?" Fred asked. "We've got to get them back."

And the arguments started. A verbal free-for-all in which everyone not only felt free, but actually obliged to put their two cents' worth in. It was bedlam.

&&&&&&

"They're planning on killing you," Alaric said, very, very quietly. Lindsey had to strain to hear.

"Is that so?" Lindsey may have sounded like he didn't believe, either that, or he didn't care, but he did take the precaution of keeping his tones well-modulated.

"We heard them," Ariel murmured. "You're a bad man, but so..," She indicated the room's other occupants with a haughty tilt of her head so that her chin was pointing towards them. ".., are they."

"And fair's fair, is that it?" Lindsey queried, still keeping it down. "Not to worry, guys. I was kind of expecting something like this. I've got it pretty much covered."

"We weren't worried about you," Alaric said scornfully. His expression was a bit more ambiguous. If pressed, by the right people, he might be moved to admit that he found Lindsey a likable scoundrel. But still a scoundrel.

"Did they say how they planned to do it?" Lindsey was kind of interested in the proposed method. It would make it easier to dodge.

"They're going to give you to Uncle Angel," Ariel informed him smugly. She was wearing her father's smirk again.

Alaric wore the selfsame expression. "You are so going to get your ass kicked."

And dire though the situation seemed, Lindsey laughed aloud as Ariel elbowed her brother in the ribs.

&&&&&&

"What's in the package the Q'xlzr brought?" Gunn asked.

"Directions to a meeting point, a copy of the spell," Angel answered. "And this." 'This' was a more casual version of the dress Rose had worn at the fund-raiser. But still in the same tacky orange.

"If we could just do the sealing spell first," Wesley muttered. "Then it would mitigate the danger to Rose, not to mention a large portion of the populace. But I still haven't found out what language that final phrase is in."

Rose, calmer now, but with swollen eyes, was perusing the summoning spell again. She seemed to be puzzling over a particular phrase. "Wesley, right off the top of your head, what does this mean?" And she finished by uttering a word in a language that most of them had never heard.

"Opening, or maybe even more precisely, mouth," Wesley replied without looking up from his own research. "But we need to work on this spell, Rose. We already know what that one does. It opens..,"

"A new hellmouth," Rose finished. "There was something bothering me about that, and I think that's what it was."

"Another hellmouth?" Spike looked aghast. "Bugger that. Isn't L.A. bad enough without opening a hellmouth under it?"

"I think I can speak for everyone who's been to one that it's something we definitely don't want," Angel remarked. His gaze seemed to go automatically to those in the room who had been.

"You've seen one hellmouth, you've seen them all," Oz quipped. "If it's all the same to you, I'll pass."

"And that just makes it all the more urgent that we crack the sealing spell," Wesley pointed out. "If we do that, then no matter what they do, they'll be unable to summon the Hramaas."

Corinna had been keeping a low profile, but had her ears wide open the whole while. She wandered behind the Watcher and looked over his shoulder. "I know it," she said softly. She looked around the room and wondered how they would take the rest of her news. "Like the summoning spell, though, it requires a sacrifice. A willing sacrifice."

Rose and Spike gazed into each other's eyes for long moments, each knowing that with them, it was an all or nothing deal. They turned to the rest of the group and in perfect unison said, "We'll do it."

"Like hell you will," Angel exploded. "Your kids need you." He stopped and swallowed. "I'll do it."

"And leave us without our champion?" Wesley inquired. He raised Fred's hand to his lips and kissed it. "Besides, you might not be able to read it accurately. I'll do it."

"Maybe you'd better leave it to a bachelor," Gunn suggested. "I'll do it."

"I'd have died years ago if you guys hadn't rescued me from Pylea," Fred said. "Everything after that could be considered a gift." She looked at Wes. "A wonderful, wonderful gift. I'll do it."

"That spell probably needs to be sung, just like the other one," Lorne pointed out. He grinned crookedly. "I've never had much of a shot at the hero gig before. I'll do it."

Corinna marveled that they were all willing to sacrifice themselves. So much so that they were arguing about it. She looked at the spell where it lay forgotten in the heat of the ongoing mayhem, then at the arguing people again. Arguing not because they wanted to die, but because they wanted others to live. It was an impressive display. She considered a few things, then quietly purloined the spell, hiding it in an otherwise empty handbag, (she'd had no idea what women put in them, she merely knew that they carried them). She walked up to Angel and tugged gently at his sleeve until she got his attention.

"I'm leaving." Stated flatly, it gave him no hint whatever of why she was leaving. But seeing the look of consternation on his face, she added softly, "It looks like we picked the wrong night."

"I guess so," he agreed. What they were doing was important, very, very important, but still, it had been rude of him to forget about her so completely. "Do you need me to arrange some transportation for you?" he asked. "I'm sure you must have expected me to make sure that you got home."

"I'm just fine," she assured him. She looked up for a moment into his lovely, brown eyes, and something in them touched her enough that she stood on tip-toe to kiss him. "I had a lovely time tonight, Angel. Good-bye."

"Good-bye, Corinna." For no reason he could put his finger on, the leave-taking seemed rather final to Angel.

She slipped away and into the elevator, taking what listening to the arguments had told her was the only existing copy of the sealing spell.

She hoped the arguments would carry on a while longer. Long enough for her to get where she was going before they realized that the spell was missing.


	19. Sing the Spell as I Wrote It

Sing the Spell as I Wrote It

Alaric and Ariel regarded Lindsey carefully. They certainly couldn't trust him, but he was the closest thing they had to an ally, friendly face, what have you. A sympathetic jailer if nothing else.

"Even if Uncle Angel does whatever they want, they're not going to give us back to mummy and daddy, are they?" Ariel asked.

Lindsey shrugged. "They haven't let me in on all the details, princess, but my best guess would be no."

"Are they going to kill us?" Alaric's voice was equal measures of horror and excitement.

"Maybe." Lindsey refused to commit himself on this one, although reason told him that it was the likeliest of the possibilities.

"Why can't we read minds?" Ariel spoke first, but both twins were suffering at being cut off from each other's mind. "Did they cast a spell on us?"

"A drug," Lindsey admitted. He wasn't actually feeling guilty, but he did kind of like these kids. And besides, what harm would it do for them to know?

"When will it wear off?" Alaric glared at Lindsey as if daring him not to answer.

Lindsey shrugged. "Since there wasn't anything in it that could hurt anybody," he replied. "I was told to give you a massive dosage. I honestly don't know when or if it will wear off."

"If?" Ariel echoed, looking positively stricken. The mere notion of being completely cut off from her sibling's thoughts for the rest of forever panicked her.

Lindsey looked at least a little ashamed. "It's fairly new and hasn't been tested extensively." The ashamed look was replaced by one of self-satisfied guile. "Right out of Wolfram and Hart's own labs." He sobered up. "Your turn to share now. Just who, or what, is your mother?"

&&&&&&&

"Before we carry on this rather fruitless discussion," Wesley shouted. He had to shout in order to make himself heard. "Perhaps we should have Corinna translate the phrase more fully," he continued in normal tones, now that he'd gotten everyone's attention. He looked around. "Where is she?"

Angel looked ready to sink through the floor. "She left," he admitted sheepishly. The connection between Corinna and the spell had escaped him when she'd announced her departure. "About fifteen minutes ago."

"When we all started yelling," Gunn remarked.

"What about security?" Fred asked. "If she had to take a cab home, they might have seen which cab company picked her up. They might even have called it for her."

"It's worth a shot, I guess," Angel muttered, pulling out his cell phone and heading for the door. "Right now, I guess it's almost the best we've got."

&&&&&&&

Corinna took out the spell and perused it carefully. She wanted to make absolutely sure that it said what she thought it said. She'd managed to collect everything she needed from various locations in the building, locks being no obstacle to her.

She stopped to listen. So far, so good. The lobby still remained deserted. She had deemed it an appropriate location. Besides, if she didn't do it here and now, she might not get another chance.

First a magic marker traced out an intricate design on the floor. Then, she lit a small brazier and started feeding it with a mixture of herbs and spices liberated from the kitchen. For the last of her preparations, she gave a sigh and changed the color of her dress from honey-gold to orange. She was ready to begin.

&&&&&&

"Damn, damn, damn." Angel barely resisted the urge to smash his cell phone into the nearest wall just for the miniscule bit of pleasure he'd get from watching it smash to bits.

"And that would translate into what?" Wesley asked dryly.

"Security said she hasn't left the building," Angel said grimly. "But for some reason, they can't tell where in the building she is."

"She must be using some kind of spell to keep the security cameras from seeing her," Fred suggested.

"It would have to be a pretty kick-ass spell," Gunn put in. "Those cameras are supposed to be proof against most concealment spells."

Wesley was furiously going through the papers in his hands. It looked like it wasn't the first time, and he was starting to look sick. "She's taken the spell with her," he said quietly. "And it was the only copy."

"What?" It was a full chorus.

Spike was looking like he really wanted something to hit, when he noticed that something else was missing. Something very near and dear to him. "Where'n hell did Rose get to?" he snapped. But he was starting to look sick too.

&&&&&&&

"Wait for me," Rose ordered the cab driver sternly as she got out in front of a dress shop. "I won't be a minute."

"Lady, you can take all day as long as the meter's running," the cabbie assured her.

True to her words, though, Rose was out in a remarkably short time, and already wearing her new purchase.

A dress in a virulent orange.

&&&&&&&

"Stop fidgeting, Richard," the old man admonished. "It really won't be much longer. They will have no choice but to accede to our demands." He eyed the children, and Lindsey, who, though he had made no move against his employers, appeared to have switched sides and joined the enemy camp. "I find that humans tend to be sentimental beyond the bounds of reason where children are concerned."

"I'm human," Richard said. And yet, there was a niggling feeling at the back of his mind that said otherwise.

"Not entirely, my son," the old man muttered. He looked somewhat embarrassed. "You have an old and proud lineage. It goes back, so it is said, to he who vanquished the first Slayer."

Richard was having trouble coordinating his body and mouth and brain all at once. A few helpless hand gestures, his mouth, opening and closing. He sat down with an audible thump. "But I know who my father is," he protested weakly.

The ancient shook his head. "No, my boy. He was only your foster-father. I am your father."

Richard giggled hysterically. "Are you going to tell me to embrace the dark side now?"

"I don't need to." The allusion was totally lost on the elder. "You have done that of your own accord."

"So that makes me half-human, and half- what?" Richard demanded.

The old man's eyes glistened and it looked almost as though flames would leap from them. "Pestilence demon," he hissed.

&&&&&&&

Alaric shrugged. "She's our mum," he replied casually. "What else do we need to know?"

Lindsey cocked an eyebrow at him. "You guys are trying to tell me that you can read minds but you don't know everything there is to know about one of your own parents?" He shook his head disbelievingly. "Somebody else might buy that, but I won't."

"But they're old," Ariel protested. She just skipped the part about how old, especially her mother. "It's hard to see back more than a year or so unless someone's thinking about something that happened a long time ago." She saw that Lindsey saw the gap in her logic and was about to jump on it, so she hastily filled in. "And, of course, you have to catch them thinking about the right thing at the right time."

"And they've gotten real good at being careful what they think around us," Alaric supplied. He got a devilish grin. "At least, most of the time."

"You'll shuck and jive me on this until I die of old age, won't you?" Lindsey asked.

"Well, we're sure as hell not going to tell you anything," Alaric shot back, mildly surprised that his sister hadn't stepped in to reprimand him for swearing, since their mother wasn't there to do it."

"You are one of the bad guys," Ariel reminded him. "And we're not stupid."

Lindsey grinned ruefully. "No, princess," he agreed. "You're not stupid." He looked thoughtful. "Maybe I'm the one that's stupid."

&&&&&&&&&

"Right there," Rose said softly. Before the cab had come to a complete halt, she was thrusting a couple of bills at him and reaching for the door handle. "Thank you." She hardly noticed he was there.

"Here?" asked the cabbie. "There ain't nothing here, lady. And it's not really a good part of town for a woman to be alone in."

"I won't be alone long," Rose replied serenely. She knew that for a fact. Someone was already on the way to meet her.

Before the cab driver could say anything else, his radio began to squawk, and it sounded like a demand for his current location. He was about to comply, when Rose caught his attention and held a finger to her lips.

"Stall them," she said. "It doesn't have to be for long. Half an hour or so. Fifteen minutes if you're hard pressed. But I need the head start." In answer to his scandalized look she said, "I haven't broken any laws, nor am I about to. Nothing that could reflect on you or get you into any trouble." She tucked another bill into his hand.

"I'll give you your fifteen minutes, lady," he mumbled. "But after that, you're on your own."

Rose watched as he drove away. "I'm on my own now," she whispered. But she'd noticed Corinna's departure, and knew that they couldn't put their faith in the sealing spell. And someone had to be there for her children. She was sure that Spike would understand.

&&&&&&&

"Lindsey!" The old man's voice brooked no argument, and yet, there were heavy undertones of glee.

"Yeah?" Lindsey slouched over, seemingly uncaring, but alert, aware that a wrong move could well be his last.

"Go to the meeting place," the ancient ordered. "The sacrifice will meet you there."

The twins exchanged a look, but remained calm. From the amount of chatter that had been going on, they knew who the sacrifice was.

Lindsey turned and shared a long, thoughtful look with the children. He was wondering what exactly Angel was up to, sending Rose here. It wasn't his style at all.

&&&&&&

Angel was busy chewing out the head of security, but finally, the man got his attention and got a word in edgewise.

"But Mr. Angel," he said in soothing, talk them down from the ledge tones. "You didn't ask about Ms. Powers whereabouts. Just the temporary secretary. If you had asked, I could have told you that she left." He saw from the upset looks on the faces of two vampires that that wasn't going to be enough. "If I had known, I could have prevented her from leaving the building. And I sure wouldn't have called her a taxi."

"Which company?" Spike and Angel, in perfect sync.

"Hollywood Cab Company," the man muttered. He was feeling picked upon. He'd just done his job, and here he was, a victim of a major inquisition.

Angel picked up the nearest phone. Not his cell, because he intended to let someone else waste their time with the underlings. "Get me the head person at the Hollywood Cab Company, and get them now," he ordered.

&&&&&

"Fancy meeting you here," Lindsey remarked as he opened a car door for Rose. "So, where's your back-up?" He flung himself into the driver's seat.

Rose gave him a long, cool stare. "I know who you are and what makes you tick, Lindsey McDonald," she uttered calmly. "And I'm telling you that you'd better make sure that they uphold their end of the bargain and get my children out of there."

"Do you really think they'll let me?" Lindsey asked reasonably. "And, no offense, ma'am, but you're not going to be in much of a position to enforce any bargain you and I might make."

Rose fixed him with another penetrating stare. "You just do it," she snapped. "This isn't part of any deal. I'm telling you to do this. And you will."

Lindsey stopped the car and returned the stare. "Who are you?" he asked softly.

"Someone who could end your existence with a thought, Lindsey," Rose replied with a grim smile.

&&&&&&

"What'n hell?" Spike muttered as they neared the lobby. "Sounds like someone singing."

"It can't be the blossom," Lorne said, half to himself. "She'd insist on seeing that the munchkins are safe, first."

"Besides," Fred put in. "We know that Rose left the building. But security never did manage to trace..,"

"Corinna," Angel finished. "It's got to be her. But what is she doing?"

The impromptu posse burst into the lobby to see Corinna, clad in orange and wreathed in spicy smoke, standing in the middle of a magic circle and singing.

"I have a real bad feeling about this," Gunn mumbled.

It was then they heard the rumbling that sounded as though it emanated from the depths of hell itself.

&&&&&&&&

"Mummy!" The twins swarmed over Rose as soon as she broke through the portal.

Rose, too choked up to say anything, just hugged and kissed them fiercely, tears of relief streaming down her face.

Surprisingly enough, no one made any move to stop the family reunion. The old man didn't care, he had his sacrifice, a few moments more or less didn't matter. Richard was still in a state of shock over the news of his ancestry. Lindsey wasn't sure just what to believe about Rose, but he was feeling a certain apprehension at the thought of pissing her off.

Finally, Rose brushed the tears asked, and herded the children towards Lindsey. "You remember what I told you, Lindsey McDonald," she warned him. "You take them right straight to Wolfram and Hart."

"But mummy." Alaric and Ariel both began the protest.

"Hush, my darlings," Rose said softly, giving them one last squeeze. "You go with Lindsey. He'll take you home." The look she shot Lindsey suggested that he'd better not think of doing anything but that.

"C'mon, guys," Lindsey said, holding out his hands to them. "I'll take you to..," He stopped and swallowed, fighting off a sudden surge of nausea. "Your Uncle Angel."

&&&&&&&

"Don't interrupt her," Wesley cautioned. "The results could be disastrous if we did."

"Is that the hellmouth spell or the sealing spell?" Angel asked.

Wesley listened intently for a moment. "The sealing spell, I believe," he answered. "But why should she be performing it?"

"If this goes off like she said it would we're not going to get a chance to ask her," Lorne pointed out. "Remember the whole willing sacrifice thing?"

"Which had us all arguing so much that we never noticed either her or Rose leave," Oz added. "I don't think even Angel would have noticed her leaving if she hadn't said good-bye to him."

Angel remembered also the feeling of finality when Corinna had said good-bye to him. Now, he understood why.

"Well, if Corinna is doing the sealing spell..," Gunn started.

"Then we'd better hope she has enough of a head start to finish it before Rose sings the summoning spell," Wesley interrupted.

Spike was suddenly staring very intently at the woman in the middle of the circle. "Sing faster, pet," he whispered in pleading tones. "Sing faster."

&&&&&&&&

Rose waited until Lindsey disappeared through the portal with the twins, then turned to the remaining pair. "Richard," she greeted him coldly. "Aren't you going to introduce me to your friend?"

"No friend of mine," Richard vowed, still showing traces of hysteria. "Dad." He put a hand on the old man's shoulder. "Meet Rose. Helluva girl. Would have made an outstanding first lady."

Rose looked askance at him, but didn't pursue the matter. If Richard had gone mad, it was no more than he deserved. Instead, she turned her attention to the room's other occupant, and then, some of her pre-human memories chose to kick in.

"I know who you are," she exclaimed. "I should have known, too." She looked disgusted. "No more than I've come to expect of you, Claus."

The old man glared at her. He'd used hundreds, maybe even thousands of human names over the centuries. But that one had been more trouble and caused him more grief. He now took great pains to keep it under wraps. So how did this chit of a girl know it? His curiosity was piqued now, far overriding his desire to see the fulfillment of his plans. "Who are you?" he demanded hoarsely.

Rose smiled, a little sickly, now. The enormity of it all was beginning to sink in. "I'm your sacrifice, old man. That's all you need to know."

Santa smiled back, but his expression was a vicious one. He gestured her to the center of the room where a circle which was similar, but not identical to, Corinna's was waiting. "Sing," he invited. He glanced at the last of his offspring, but Richard sat staring into space, the vacant look of a mindless moron on his face. He sighed. Human genes did so weaken a bloodline. He'd have to father a new horde of offspring to do his bidding. But first things first. "Sing," he ordered Rose again.

&&&&&&

The whole group watched as the lobby floor began to crack and buckle. Everywhere except where the circle was drawn. It was an island amidst a sea of destruction.

"What's the deal, Watcher?" Spike asked nervously. He really didn't want to see this bird die. Nothing against her. But rather her than his beloved. Not to mention not opening another hellmouth. He didn't even consider his own well-being in the equation.

"Just as in the other spell," Wesley whispered loudly. "Hramaas will appear and devour the one singing the spell. But his acceptance of this sacrifice also ensures that he will never again return to this plane of existence."

They all stood there in horrified fascination, awaiting the arrival of a demon that could cause so much fear, dread and destruction. Possibly the end of the world. Seeing the reality was a bit of a surprise to them all.


	20. Spells and Counterspells

Spells and Counterspells

Rose started singing. As she sang, she thought of Spike, their children, Angel, and the rest of her friends. She thought of the cab driver who had driven her to the rendezvous. Someone she had seen on the news last night. And all the teeming hordes of life that she was sentencing to death in hopes of sparing her children.

She sang, and she cried, and she missed neither a note nor a syllable.

&&&&&&&&

Lindsey held the kids tightly by the hands. Most of Wolfram and Hart's lobby was now a large crater. The three of them looked to the center to see a striking-looking woman in an ugly orange dress singing the last notes of some eerie song/spell.

There was a sound like a thunderclap, and a billow of oily, black smoke, which heralded the arrival of..,

The creature looked like a large insect. In fact, that was it perfectly. A cockroach the size of a garbage truck. It circled Corinna warily, mandibles clicking.

Corinna looked at the creature in surprise. Of all the demons she'd seen, and she'd seen many, she had never seen one like this. A tight, thin smile stretched her lips for a moment, then her face slowly lost all traces of humanity as she morphed back into her natural form.

&&&&&&

Lindsey and the twins, eyes never leaving the tableau in the middle of the lobby made their way around the edges where there was a convenient shelf of undisturbed flooring, although Lindsey took the lead and tested the stability of the path frequently. He wasn't entirely sure just why he was taking such care with these children. Or why he'd felt compelled to obey Rose's orders. But that was something to think about when he had the time. Now, he needed to concentrate on what he was doing.

It never occurred to him, even though he had worked there for years, that there were other entrances to the building than the one that went through the lobby.

&&&&&&&

The old man rubbed his hands together gleefully as Rose sang. Devastation and destruction. Hell on earth. He made a note to track down Lindsey and Rose's brats, afterwards. At last, being able to roam the surface in complete freedom without any exhausting, short-term spells. To be truly free.

He wondered when Corinna would be home.

&&&&&&&

Corinna's eyes had gone ink-black at the sight of Hramass. A quick sniff confirmed that he even smelled like an insect. While she could spin webs, it was not her preferred method of hunting. Given a choice, she would always stalk and capture her prey rather than wait patiently for it to come to her.

Hramaas regarded the creature in front of him and clicked again. He could have sworn it was one of those soft, warm humans. A tasty enough snack, to be sure, but not much of real meal. But this, he'd never seen the like.

So why, never having seen it, did it make him wary? Hramass had hunted many times before, and he suddenly came to the realization that he was being stalked and hunted by what was supposed to be his sacrifice.

Chittering angrily, Hramass decided that the terms for the spell had been abrogated. But he didn't leave. He fully intended to slaughter the creature that thought it could destroy him.

Then, he'd eat whatever and whoever else was in the near vicinity.

&&&&&&&

Spike found his eyes riveted to the horror show, even though most of his concerns were elsewhere. He wouldn't be surprised if his time had come with this one, and he found that his biggest regret was that he would be unable to give his precious kids a cuddle and tell them he loved them one last time. His reverie was broken by a little voice hissing, "Daddy!"

Spike jerked his head around so quickly he heard a joint in his neck pop, painfully.

There, just about ten feet away from him were his kids. With some bloke he didn't know from Adam, but would put money on him being Lindsey McDonald.

More than ever, now, Spike wanted to hold his little ones, but the difficulty lay in the fact that they were on the other side of the only break in the ledge that encircled the lobby. There were no ropes or tools available. No convenient hand or foot holds. Just his kids, only a few feet away, and yet, they might as well have been on the moon.

&&&&&&

In the center arena, as it were, the conflict had begun. Hramaas had made a lightning-fast lunge at Corinna.

And missed. In fact, he nearly went off the edge of their precarious perch.

Before he could recover his equilibrium, Corinna was on his back, sinking her fangs, with difficulty, through his hard exoskeleton.

The demon-lord squealed in pain and tried vainly to dislodge his unwanted rider.

&&&&&&&

Rose finished the incantation, not quite sure what to expect. What she didn't expect was the final note to be followed by a dead silence.

Neither did Santa Claus. His complexion went from pasty white to virulent crimson, to apoplectic purple.

"Impossible!" he burst out. "Hramaas should have come. He should have devoured you by now." His eyes narrowed, and the expression with which he regarded Rose was less than charitable. "How did you corrupt the spell?"

"I didn't." While the old man wasn't the trusting sort, the look of shocked confusion on Rose's face would have told all. She had fully expected to be in the early stages of digestion by now. "I don't understand it." Her eyes suddenly glistened with a flash of insight. Someone must have performed the counter-spell. She looked to her captor (she no longer counted Richard in the equation), and decided that now was not a good time to bring it up.

&&&&&&&&

Lindsey had visually gauged the gap in the ledge and had come to the conclusion that it was hopeless, too, and was about to suggest an alternate route when the twins exchanged a look then turned and favored their father with the same look.

Spike's eyebrows rose, and he gauged not only the length, but the depth of the gap. He shook his head.

Alaric's face set in stubborn lines. "I'm gonna do it," he muttered.

Ariel tugged on Lindsey's hand until he followed her a few feet back along the ledge, then she motioned him to plaster himself against the wall and demonstrated herself.

Alaric came back with them, blew out a breath, and then pelted down the space they'd freed, and Lindsey suddenly realized what was going on.

"Hey, wait!" he shouted after Alaric. But the kid had a vampire's speed, and he was much too late for his warning to do any good.

For a moment, it seemed like Alaric was going to run right off the edge, but at the last possible second, he jumped, almost appearing to fly across the gap.

To smack solidly into his father's arms.

When his son, against orders, undertook to jump the gap, Spike felt his heart go to his throat, gripped in the throes of that damnable helpless feeling again. He was so relieved when he had his boy, safe and sound, that he didn't even bother to chew him out. And he'd conveniently forgotten for a moment that his kids did everything together.

&&&&&&&&

Rose knew it was a long shot, but while the old man fussed and fumed and cursed, she started quietly edging towards the door to the portal. Slow, silent, unobtrusive. One tiny step at a time.

She was just reaching for the door when a hand came down on her wrist, encircling it, trapping it.

"Naughty, naughty, Lily," Richard chided. "Trying to get away from me again. When will you learn? Besides, having a wife like you would pull in more votes than eliminating the national debt." He pulled her close, so he could wrap his free arm around her and hold her tightly.

There was no longer the slightest semblance of anything even remotely sane left in his eyes.

&&&&&&&&

"My turn," said Ariel softly. She looked up at her companion. "Wish me luck, Lindsey?"

"Good luck, princess," Lindsey said obediently. "No hard feelings?"

Ariel shrugged. "Not too much," she replied. "But you might want to leave while you can. Daddy and Uncle Angel are..," She stopped, seemingly searching, and decided there was no better word. "They're pissed."

Lindsey glanced across the gap and found himself looking Angel in the eye. He definitely concurred with Ariel's assessment. Then, something stuck him.

"How did you know that?" he asked. "Did the drug wear off?"

"Oh, ages and ages ago," she assured him. "We've been reinforcing mummy's orders ever since she told you to bring us back home." She smiled up at him and batted her eyes, then took off down the ledge.

At first glance, Ariel's form looked enough like her brother's that there didn't seem to be anything to worry about. Until she had a 'Spike' moment and had to grandstand, wasting too much of her momentum by doing a mid-air flip.

She was never going to make it all the way across. Spike could see that, and was leaning out over the miniature abyss as far as he could, and even farther than he should have been able to since Angel was anchoring him. But he was never going to be able to reach her.

Ariel's trajectory started curving downward, way too soon.

&&&&&&&&&

"My name is Rose," Rose insisted gently, trying and failing, to release herself from him.

"No," Richard insisted stubbornly. "You're my wife, Lily."

"That's right, my boy." Claus stepped in and took Rose's other arm. "And she is a precious girl, too. We must take very good care of her, mustn't we?"

"Sure thing, pop," Richard agreed amiably. He grinned suddenly. "I'll bet you can't wait until we make you a grandpa, can you?"

"Absolutely." The old man nodded, then smiled hugely, his teeth seeming to grow jagged and pointy. "I love little children." He quickly swiped at his mouth with his sleeve before he actually drooled on himself.

Seeing that it would be utterly futile, Rose didn't even try to struggle, but merely allowed them to pull her away from the door.

Richard patted her hand reassuringly. "Everything will be all right, Lily. You'll see."

Rose hoped the rescue team would arrive soon. Or that there even was one.

&&&&&&&

Corinna tossed the now drained corpse of Hramaas off the edge of the platform into the abyss. Still in spider form, she turned and surveyed her surroundings, viewing the destruction of the lobby and the huddled group of people that was her audience.

The little girl falling.

Even for a spider, Corinna was fast. Vampire fast. And at her current inflated size, she was larger than half a dozen men.

Before anyone could blink, before a despairing cry could fall from Spike's lips, she sprang over to the wall above Ariel and snagged the plummeting child with a long, spider-silk sticky leg.

The leg swung slowly over, out of danger, and deposited Ariel in her father's arms. Then, Corinna leapt to an open space behind them all and morphed back into a human woman.

&&&&&&

Lindsey was at a loose end. The advice Ariel had given him about leaving was certainly sound. While he still cherished the notion that he could take Angel if he really wanted to, he knew it wouldn't just be Angel, it would be the whole crew, and he'd be nothing but a memory.

There was also a lot to be said for not going back to his employer. Technically, there was still a need, since he'd been hired as Richard's campaign manager. But then, they'd been distracted by side issues. Of course, Lindsey realized that the show in Wolfram and Hart's main lobby had been the real point of things. And he doubted if either Richard or the old man would welcome him with open arms.

And yet, for some reason, he was overpoweringly curious to see how it all came out. He was loitering in the shadows, wondering how he was going to accomplish it when he turned and bumped into someone.

A small, blue-gray someone.

Lindsey smiled down at the Q'xlzr.

&&&&&&&

Everyone was huddled around Spike and the twins, other concerns temporarily forgotten in seeing that Alaric and Ariel were all right.

Corinna sidled through the press of bodies. "Is the little girl all right?" she asked worriedly. Ariel was gasping for breath. "I'm afraid I didn't have time to catch her gently."

"She's just winded," Gunn assured her. Spike was currently too preoccupied with his children to answer. "She'll be fine."

"Corinna." Angel took hold of her arms and just looked into her eyes for a moment. Then, he kissed her. "Thank you."

She smiled at him and kissed him back, just a quick taste, there was still work to be done. "Don't we need to get..,"

"Mummy back," Ariel finished with her first easy breath.

Lindsey appeared beside the group, Q'xlzr in tow, but trying to be inconspicuous, having re-entered the building from another side. Lindsey's car keys dangled from his fingers.

"Any of you hero types interested in a ride?" he asked, sounding far more casual and relaxed than he felt. "I happen to have an address for the damsel in distress."

&&&&&&

"You really need to fix your make-up, Lily," Richard chided sternly. "It's not that I don't find you beautiful no matter how you look, but there are appearances to be kept up."

"I'm sorry, Richard," Rose murmured soothingly. For some reason, Richard's madness was starting to scare her more than the out and out evil of his father. "I'm afraid I don't have my make-up case with me though."

"Allow me." The old man conjured one out of thin air, enjoying the fear he could feel coming off Rose in waves.

"No more crying in public, either," Richard continued his lecture. "You must present a calm, rational image at all times."

"Certainly, Richard." Rose took the make-up from the old man and glared at him before making repairs to her face. When were they going to rescue her?

&&&&&&&

Only one thing could distract Spike from being concerned for his kids, and Corinna, Ariel and Lindsey had hit on it.

"Rose!" Spike stood, stopping to give each of his offspring one more kiss. "You two stay here with..," He looked at the assembled crew, trying to figure out who was best left behind. "With your Uncle Lorne."

Lorne accepted delivery on the twins with alacrity, but when Spike made as if to leave, Angel grabbed him and spun him around.

"Aren't you forgetting something, Spike?" Angel inquired mildly. He really couldn't blame Spike. The whole situation had been rough on him. "You don't know where you're going, what you're up against, and your only source of information is..," He jerked his head towards Lindsey. "Him."

&&&&&&

Richard had wandered off somewhere, and the old man had allowed it. He didn't seem to think that an insane lawyer running free was any sort of a potential problem.

At the moment, Santa was staring at Rose in a manner that made her profoundly uncomfortable. She was made even more uncomfortable by the thought that something must have gone wrong with the sealing spell for rescue to be such a long time coming. All she had to cling to was the sure knowledge that Spike was still alive, since she was.

And she knew that as long as Spike lived, he'd never stop looking for her.

Never.


	21. Best Served Cold

Best Served Cold

"He knows where Rose is," Spike said stubbornly. "That's all I need to know."

"You need to take me along." Corinna still wasn't finished surprising everyone.

Spike turned to her, impatient to be gone to rescue Rose. "Look, ducks, thanks for saving us from having to deal with another hellmouth and all that..,"

"You'll need my help to get past Santa Claus," Corinna interrupted.

Most of the group either burst out laughing or simply looked confused. Spike, however, was appalled.

"Santa had my kids?" He pulled the twins close to him again, almost as if to reassure himself that they were actually there. "How'n hell did you two get out of there?"

"Mummy told Lindsey to bring us here," Alaric said, rather matter-of-factly.

Even Angel looked shaken. "You're trying to tell me that your mother told him..," He seemed to be trying to avoid using Lindsey's name. ".., what to do and he did it?"

"Doesn't everybody?" asked Ariel. "You do."

Spike was still in a state of shock. "That evil, little bastard Santa had my kids. He has Rose." He thrust the kids back at Lorne and headed, not for an exit, but from all appearances, for the CEO's office.

"Not the claymore again," Angel moaned. "It's never been the same since the last time he used it."

Gunn, who had been one of the people laughing was coming to the realization that it was no laughing matter. "Straight up, no shit," he said slowly. "Santa Claus?"

"According to the records, he's one of the worst pestilence demons of all time," Wesley began lecturing. "But he dropped out of sight more than fifty years back. While there was no actual record of what happened, the Council has been guardedly optimistic that it meant that he was dead."

"He's been imprisoned," Corinna supplied, drawing the startled stares back to her. "He could leave for very brief times, with the use of some very powerful and energy consuming spells. Opening a new hellmouth would free him again."

"How do you know all this?" Fred demanded suspiciously.

The image of Corinna wavered, and for a brief moment, they all saw a plump, elderly woman, cheerful and smiling and dressed in red and white.

"Okay, so that answers one question," Lorne observed quietly. "I suppose another would be, why are you helping us?"

Corinna, back in the form they were familiar with just barely stopped herself from glaring at the Pylean. He couldn't know.

"He took me with him," she hissed. "He tied me to him with spells. This is the first time I've been out of that miserable hole in fifty years."

"So it's a revenge thing, huh?" Gunn queried. "I can understand that."

Spike came striding back in with, predictably, Angel's claymore.

"Come on, lawyer boy," he said to Lindsey. "I want my wife the hell away from Santa Claus."

"Big knife not being any good," the Q'xlzr informed them. A couple of people jumped. It had been so quite they'd forgotten it's presence. "Not on Santa Claus."

"Why not?" Spike stroked the hilt of the sword lovingly. He really didn't want to give it up.

"He like fish-stars," the demon explained. It seemed perplexed that no one got the reference. It tried again. "Cut part off, grow two. No want to cut he."

"Starfish!" Fred said triumphantly. "They have a totally de-centralized nervous system. You can practically dice one, and each little piece will grow into a whole new starfish."

"Looks like the claymore stays at home, Spike," Angel remarked.

Spike handed Angel the sword, but spared him a dirty look as if to say that it was Angel's doing that he couldn't use it. "How do you go about ending the little freak's career?" he asked. "Because he gave me the wiggins when I was evil, and now, just the thought of him running about is likely to give me worse nightmares than Sunnydale ever could."

Since it had brought up the point first, everyone looked to the Q'xlzr, who's ears drooped in dejection.

"I not be knowing that," it confessed. "Found out other by accident, long and long ago. But I not be knowing how to kill he."

The Q'xlzr, having failed them, they turned to Corinna, who looked just as much at a loss as the little demon had.

"I think that's why he was imprisoned," she speculated. "I'm not sure that anyone knows what will kill him." A dark shadow drifted across her eyes. "He can't be poisoned."

"How do you know?" Wesley began, then interrupted himself. "Oh, I see. I take it that you're venomous?"

"Very," Corinna agreed. "And no matter how many times I bit him, it didn't seem to affect him in the slightest."

"Maybe we should just settle for leaving him buried in his hole?" Gunn ventured tentatively.

"No!" Spike and Corinna burst out together.

Spike looked at her curiously. "I know why I want the bugger dead," he remarked. "But what's in it for you, pet?"

"You need me to help you get in to get your wife," Corinna explained. "But once I get that close to him, I'll be in range for the spell he cast to bind me to him. If we don't manage to kill him, I'll be stuck there with him forever."

"Look, doll," Lorne said. "Not meaning to be rude, and you've certainly done some good here tonight, but what were you doing hooked up with a pestilence demon in the first place?"

"It was a very long time ago," Corinna murmured. "I was young and foolish and he offered me the world." She looked indescribably sad, regretting the follies of youth that had demanded a far higher payment than most people's worst mistakes and misdeeds ever could.

This time, it was to Angel their eyes turned, asking him to make a decision. And Angel wasn't sure what the right decision was. On one hand she'd been Santa's consort for decades, maybe even centuries. On the other hand, she couldn't be much shadier than Lindsey McDonald, and she had..,

"She saved Ariel." Spike spoke aloud what Angel had been thinking. "That's good enough for me."

Since it was Rose that they were going to rescue (again), Angel guessed that settled it.

&&&&&&

Rose stood, make-up and hair now in perfect repair, and awaited Richard's verdict.

"Lovely." Richard's chin reacted on his hand as he regarded her thoughtfully, and it was easy to tell that his approbation was about to be qualified. "But that dress is an absolute horror, Lily. Whatever possessed you to pick such a color?"

Rose felt her ire start to rise. She had done all she could to placate this madman, and now he had the nerve to criticize her appearance in her sacrificial robes. She drew in a deep breath before answering. "It was a gift from your father, dear," Rose said in saccharin tones. She lowered her voice to a whisper. "I didn't want to hurt his feelings." She smiled sweetly at each of them in turn.

Richard beamed back at her. Santa's expression was more a baring of the teeth.

&&&&&&&

"We still don't know what, if anything, will kill him," Fred protested.

"We'll take along a little bit of everything we can think of," Angel said. "You know, try to cover all the bases."

"Then let's get it and go," Spike ordered urgently. "Gives me the creeping horrors thinking what might happen to Rose. Especially since by now, Santa has to know that his precious spell didn't work."

"Mummy was scared," Ariel volunteered.

"But now she's getting mad," Alaric added.

Looks were exchanged as everyone realized they had, once again, missed an obvious source of information.

"You can actually tell what she's thinking on the other side of a portal?" Lindsey didn't really expect an answer, but he was curious.

"We can always find mummy," Ariel stated.

"Richard totally spazzed," Alaric remarked. "Mum thinks he's lost his mind."

Ariel, not liking the thought that her brother was one up on her, started 'listening' to her mother as well. "He's acting like he thinks mummy really is his wife." Seeing Spike's stricken expression, she added, "She's playing along with him, for now."

"She's wondering if you guys are ever going to rescue her," Alaric put in. "When are you going to rescue her?"

"Right bloody now," Spike replied, taking Lindsey by the arm. "We're leaving, now. If the rest of you lot want to tag along, best you get a wiggle on."

He started moving off, with Lindsey, half walking, half being dragged.

"But how are you going to kill him, Spike?" Wesley asked the blond vamp's retreating back.

"Figure it out when I get there," Spike's voice drifted back. "I need to get Rose away from there."

&&&&&&&&

Rose sat perfectly still. Richard was gone, who knows where, and the demon sat staring at her unblinkingly.

When a little voice inside her head told her not to worry, the news was so overwhelmingly welcome that she couldn't suppress a smile.

Her jailer noticed. "What makes you so pleased all of a sudden, my dear?" He tried to feign the appearance of a harmless old man once more, but knowing what she knew, the effort was wasted on Rose.

"You'll find out soon enough," Rose answered calmly. And thought, the sooner the better.

"But I wish to know now," Santa retorted. His tones were mild enough, but unspeakable lights danced in his eyes.

"Life's a bitch, isn't it?" Rose asked sweetly. And saw her adversary start upon the hearing of it. Why did everyone find it so shocking when she swore? Spike did it all the time, and hardly anybody even noticed.

There was a faint shimmer in the air, and enough static along with it to make the hairs on Rose's arms stand on end. The portal opened, and Richard entered, carrying an armload of clothes.

Rose recognized those clothes. Evidently Richard hadn't gotten rid of the wardrobe he'd purchased for her. Or perhaps it was part of his act, keeping her clothes against the hope of her return. Keeping up appearances. After all, it wasn't widely known that she was actually married to someone else. She'd spoken to Gunn, who had people monitoring all the media, and Richard suddenly acquiring, and then losing, a wife had hardly caused a ripple.

"Richard," Santa said with false heartiness. "I think you should speak with your wife about her language. Swearing really isn't very ladylike, and not too likely to impress your voters."

"Lily!" Richard looked shocked to the soles of his shoes. "I can't believe it."

"Then don't," Rose advised. "Believing and not believing as you chose to seems to be your strong point right now, Richard. Go with it."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Richard's complexion was starting to mottle.

Rose sighed. She probably shouldn't push him too hard right now. She still didn't know when Spike would be here, only that he was on his way.

&&&&&&&&&

"Left at the next light." Lindsey was trying to give directions and hang on for dear life at the same time. Spike was driving. "I wouldn't object to getting there in one piece," he suggested hopefully.

"If you hadn't brought my kids home, you'd be on the list for not being in one piece," Spike replied calmly, dodging in and out of traffic and hoping like hell that the people he cut off didn't have weak hearts. "I still owe you for kidnapping them in the first place."

"Your next right," Lindsey directed. "I don't suppose you'd accept my very sincere apologies?"

Spike erupted into laughter. "You got some stones, I'll give you that," he remarked. "As far as accepting your apology.., well, maybe, once I run you past the kids."

Lindsey relaxed. If the twin's approbation was all it took, he should have it made in the shade. To the best of his knowledge, the spell that selected which of his thoughts they had access to was still in place.

If only he could feel as confident about the prospect of meeting Santa after double-crossing him.

They'd damn well better figure out a way to kill the old bastard.

&&&&&&&

"Has everyone got everything?" Angel asked. there were loading potentially necessary supplies into one of the company helicopters. With the lead Spike had on them, they'd never catch him by car.

"Everything we could think of," Fred answered. "If something here doesn't kill him, we're screwed."

"You ought to let us go with you, Uncle Angel." Ariel gave her uncle her best winsome look. One that was generally guaranteed to melt his heart, and good sense, on the instant.

"Yeah, and we could ride in the helicopter with you," Alaric added a bit less diplomatically.

Angel gave his godchildren a quick hug. "I promise I'll take you up in the helicopter sometime," he vowed. "But you two need to stay here where we won't have to worry about you."

"But we could help," Ariel insisted. She wasn't used to having Angel say no to her.

"Sure, we could read their minds and tell you what they were up to," Alaric offered. "Please, Uncle Angel?"

"No," Angel repeated firmly. He adored the twins, he loved spoiling them, and he hated saying no to them. But this was going to be too dangerous a situation to take them into. "You guys stay here and hold down the fort with Wes and Lorne."

"C'mon, kiddies." Lorne took them each by the hand. "We'll have a sing-along, or watch a video, and they'll be back with your mom before you know it." And he threw a silent thought to The Powers That Be that they'd do something to make that piece of wishful thinking reality.

The twins, sulky but obedient, allowed themselves to be pulled away while the rest of the crew climbed into the 'copter.

Angel and Corinna were the last to board.

"You don't really have to do this, Corinna," Angel said in a shout, but one that was just barely loud enough to be heard over engines and rotors swishing overhead. "You've already done a lot for us. And I can't guarantee that we will be able to kill him. I don't want to see you stuck there."

"Thank you, Angel," Corinna replied as quietly as the cacophony overhead would allow also. "I don't want to go. But I have to. I've just sat by the sidelines and done nothing for far too long. Besides." Her eyes hardened and darkened slightly for a moment. "He killed my.., our, children. Every last one of them. It's time he paid for that."

Angel didn't want to think how he'd feel if someone killed Connor. And he still sneaked a peek at his son periodically, just to see that he was well and happy. Things that he wasn't able to provide for him. He sighed. He couldn't see how he could deny Corinna her vengeance. All he could do was help her board the helicopter.


	22. Through the Linen Closet

Through the Linen Closet

Spike was swearing, loudly and at length. "Whoever put a bloody portal inside somebody's house?" he fumed. He looked at Lindsey. "Rightful owner alive and well, I presume?"

"Last that I saw," Lindsey replied. To be honest, he hadn't really thought of it either. But it was now obvious that there needed to be a change of plan. As things stood, neither Spike nor Angel could enter, and Lindsey was pretty sure they were going to need them to deal with Santa. "What now?"

"Now." Spike turned to look Lindsey in the eye. "You are going to think of some way to either get that bloody, wife-stealing sod to invite me in, or you're going to kill him so I don't need the invite."

Lindsey scrutinized Spike carefully, the gears almost audibly turning. "There might be another way," he said slowly. "The old man has mentioned you by name a few times. You don't suppose..,"

"What?" Spike now looked at Lindsey as if he were an utter moron. "Oh, come right in and get your wife, Spike. Sorry about nabbing the kids and trying to sacrifice her to a demon and all that. Are you sure you wouldn't like a cup of tea while you're tearing the place apart?" His expression became almost pitying. "He did have my kids. He does have my wife. Did you think we were going to have civilized negotiations on the subject?" He cuffed the back of Lindsey's head, albeit fairly gently. It only felt to Lindsey like his eyeballs were about to pop out. "We're the bloody monsters, mate. We don't work like that."

"You're not a thing like Angel, are you?" Lindsey asked, rubbing the back of his head.

Spike laughed with genuine good humor. "You keep talking like that, lawyer boy, and I many have to let you get out of this mess alive."

&&&&&&&

Santa was ostensibly busy, his nose buried in a spell book. This left Richard and Rose, for the most part, on their own.

Rose never thought she'd actually miss the nasty, old pestilence demon's presence, but she was suddenly finding that there was something good that could be said for it.

That something would be, to Rose's mind, being a chaperone.

"I've been ever so patient with you, Lily," Richard murmured, closing the bit of distance that Rose had taken care to put between them. "But a man has his needs."

"Richard, if you think I'm going to have sex with you in front of your father, you're out of your mind," Rose answered, a bit shakily, edging away from him again. Of course, it was her considered opinion that Richard was already out of his mind. But then, he didn't know that.

"I didn't plan to ravish you right here, hon," Richard replied slowly. Something about her speech didn't ring true for him, and he finally put his finger on it. Shouldn't she have said 'make love,' rather than 'have sex?'

"Richard," Rose began in as calming a tone as she could manage. "Maybe if we went back home..," She let the sentence trail off suggestively. She had no intention whatsoever of letting Richard do anything with, or to, her. But it might be worth letting him think that she would if it could persuade him to take her back through that portal. Then, she'd see just what kind of a challenge he was for the skills that Angel had been teaching her for the past year and then some.

But she wasn't about to tackle Santa on her own.

Richard shrugged. "Dad wants us here right now," he said. "So, we'll stay. But that doesn't mean we couldn't have a little cuddle. And maybe some low-key making out."

"I'm not in the mood," Rose murmured, reflecting that that at least was the unvarnished truth. "Really, Richard, it's been a rather stressful day."

Richard's light brown eyes seemed to darken, and eerie lights drifted through them. "I suppose you're going to tell me that you have a headache now," he snarled. Rose wasn't entirely sure, but she could almost swear that his teeth were becoming sharper, or maybe, she hoped, it was just an illusion brought on by nerves. Richard was seriously creeping her out.

Rose fidgeted, wondering what she could do to placate this madman without actually acceding to his requests. As she moved, she heard a faint crinkly sound, a muted rattle, and immediately identified it. She had come here fully expecting that this was to be her last night on earth, and she had wanted some reminder of why she was doing it all when she went. Blushing furiously, for Richard never took his crazed stare from her, Rose extracted the photograph from its hiding place. It might not be the best or safest method of jarring Richard's memory, but right now, it was all she had. And she had to back him off. She soothed her conscience with the thought that he'd freely embraced evil to further his own ambitions, and no one would blame her if what she did drove him even further into madness.

"May I show you something, Richard?" Quietly, even tentatively. Rose was more terrified now than when she had been dead certain that she was going to be eaten by a demon. Her inner reserves were wearing fine, and all Rose wanted to do was to go home and cuddle with Spike and the children.

"What exactly were you hiding there, Lily?" Richard leered at her, but didn't look entirely pleased, as though he suspected that she was up to something. Something that he wouldn't like.

"It's a picture," Rose answered softly. "It's of me, and my husband, Spike, and our children, Alaric and Ariel. My real family, Richard. I'm not your wife and I never was."

"You lie!" Richard roared, batting the photo out of her hand without even looking at it. "Why are you lying to me, Lily? Are you trying to make me angry with you?" The lights in his eyes glowed malevolently, and off in his corner, Santa nodded in satisfaction. It looked like the demon blood ran true after all.

"My name is Rose," Rose said desperately, tears of fear running down her cheeks as she tried to keep some solid object, table, chair, whatever, between them. "Please believe me, Richard. I'm not trying to hurt you. But I'm not lying."

From across the room, the old man spoke up. "Would you like me to cast a spell on her to make her a good, dutiful wife, my boy? It wouldn't be any trouble."

"No, thank you, sir," Richard answered distractedly. He swatted the table that separated him from Rose aside as though it were made of toothpicks. "I believe in keeping these things between a husband and his wife." He frowned. "Lily, I believe that I spoke to you about crying. You're ruining your make-up again."

&&&&&&

The helicopter landed with blatant disregard for whatever laws there might be, in the middle of the street in front of Richard's house.

Angel was the first one to alight. "Please tell me that the house doesn't belong to..,"

"Richard McDaniels," Gunn supplied as he stepped out of the aircraft. "And the portal's there?" He turned to Corinna.

Corinna nodded. "In the hall closet," she affirmed. She looked at Angel and realized why everyone was frowning. "Does it have to be the actual owner, or can it be anyone who resides there?"

Angel, catching her drift, started to smile. "Why don't we find out?" he suggested, holding out his hand to her. "Oz? You want to find Spike and tell him that we may have a way in? He's probably prowling around the house trying to come up with a plan."

"Will do," Oz agreed. His nose twitched, and he nodded at Angel and melted into the shadows.

"Do you think Lindsey is still hanging around?" Fred asked, eyes flicking back and forth, as though she was looking for him, and perhaps she was.

"I'm still not sure what he's up to," Gunn mused. "It wouldn't be the first time he's switched sides, but the thing is, you never know when he's going to jump back to the other side again."

"I'm not jumping anywhere at the moment." Lindsey's voice came faintly from somewhere nearby.

Angels' ears identified the source of the sound. He strode over to the parked car and unceremoniously forced the trunk lid open to reveal Lindsey, curled up in a ball.

"You know," Lindsey remarked, slowly uncurling himself from his cramped quarters, with difficulty. "A week ago, I would have said that you couldn't put an adult human being in the trunk of a sports car. I guess that shows what I know."

"Or maybe that you're neither an adult nor a human being," Fred muttered in a not completely muffled aside.

Impatient with Lindsey's slow movements, and, because he just didn't like him, Angel grabbed Lindsey's arm and hauled him to his feet, then marched him over to join the rest of the group.

"I see that Spike doesn't trust you either," Gunn observed. "Imagine that."

"Yeah, imagine that." Lindsey rubbed the back of his neck, stiff from his sojourn in the trunk. Association with Spike was proving to be a physical trial to him. "And I was even behaving myself."

Corinna started to open her mouth to say something when they heard the sounds of arguing.

"It would have worked," Spike insisted. "The portal would still be there even if the house was gone, then I wouldn't need an invite." He made a half-hearted grab for something that Oz held.

"And we would have had to wait until the fire was finished burning," Oz pointed out. "Not to mention that we've attracted enough attention with the helicopter. I don't think we need to draw any more notice to ourselves. Like the fire department and the police." He tossed something up in the air and caught it again. Something that had a metallic glint to it.

"It's not my fault you gits did everything but hire a brass band," Spike grumbled, deliberately missing the point, and making a good job of it too. The next time Oz tossed his lighter in the air, he snatched it away, but all he did with it was put it safely away in his pocket.

Angel just shook his head, trying to suppress a grin. Some things never changed. But first things first, and what was first on the agenda was rescuing Rose. He realized he was still holding Corinna's hand. He turned to look at her. "Shall we give it a try?"

She gave him a warmer smile than she might have done if anyone was looking. "Why don't we?"

&&&&&&

Neither Lorne, nor Wes, nor the Q'xlzr demon, which had decided to hang around until it was sure that Rose was okay, could come up with anything to distract the twins attention from the situation at hand. Of course their mass case of fidgets probably weren't helping matters either.

"Would you like to..," Lorne began.

"No, thank you," Ariel interrupted as politely as she could.

"Well how about..," Wes started, then cut himself off as he found himself on the receiving end of a pair of looks that were an admixture of disdain and pity.

"Don't think so," Alaric mumbled. What with one thing and another, the twins hadn't had much leisure to take note of little details. "I smell blood." All right, for a vampire, it was a pretty big detail, but the stress and adrenalin had been running high.

"Where?" Wesley demanded immediately. Since none of them were injured that he knew of, then it could mean all sorts of things, none of them good.

"Her." The little boy indicated his sister. "But it's not her blood."

"You're sure?" Lorne asked, then mentally kicked himself. The twins were normal enough kids to have acquired the standard cuts and scrapes that any kid got. Of course Alaric knew what his sister's blood smelled like.

Ariel turned around, and across the back of her shirt was a drying stain.

"Well, if that's not Ariel's blood," Wesley remarked. "It must be Corinna's. She must have sustained some damage when she was fighting Hramaas."

"Big spider blood?" the Q'xlzr asked anxiously. It scrutinized Ariel's back carefully. "Not being hurt?"

"I'm not hurt," Ariel assured the little demon. Of all the adults that surrounded them, the blue gray demon was easily the most protective, which considering how protective everyone was of them was saying something.

"Will you do me a favor, my dear?" Wesley asked his goddaughter. "Please go change, and save that shirt for Fred to analyze."

"Okay." Wes looked askance at her as she headed for the kitchen rather than her bedroom.

"What are you doing, Ariel?" the Watcher inquired.

"I'm getting a plastic bag, Uncle Wes," she explained patiently. "You know, so it won't get contaminated."

Alaric shrugged. "It probably is already," he commented. "But I'm sure Aunt Fred will still be interested in it."

Wesley was trying to make himself look smaller for missing the blatantly obvious. All right, so it wasn't his field, but having seven year olds get the better of him like that..,

"Get over it, Wes," Lorne advised. "It's not like you're a special case or anything. They do it to everyone." He ruffled his godson's hair and frowned when Alaric didn't protest. "They weren't trying to give you attitude or anything. They're just that smart."

On an intellectual level, Wesley knew this. But every once in a while, human nature would come to the fore and make the twin's mental acuity a bitter pill for him to swallow.

He wondered if Ariel had been reading his mind and picking up on his mood when she emerged from her room wearing something very little girlish and immediately climbed into his lap.

"Everyone makes mistakes, Uncle Wes, it's okay." She snuggled into him, feeling a need for comfort herself. "Aunt Fred will love you no matter what. So will I."

Wesley cuddled her back, and once more the thought niggled in the back of his head as to whether or not he and Fred ought to reconsider the subject of children. He hoped that everyone would be back soon. With Rose. "I love you too, Ariel."

&&&&&&

Corinna walked up to the front door and tried it. Not only did it open easily, unlocked, but no alarms sounded to herald their approach.

"That's weird," Angel muttered. In this day in age, in a city the size of L.A. and in a neighborhood like this, locked doors and burglar alarms were almost mandatory. "Go on in, Corinna. You don't need to go farther than just over the threshold. Then try it. Don't go in any further alone."

"All right," Corinna murmured nervously. Now that she was so close, fear was beginning to be the prevalent emotion. "Come in, Angel."

Angel set a tentative foot next to the doorway and cautiously slid it forward, and met with no resistance. So far, so good. "Hurry," he said urgently. "Invite Spike in too. While our luck still holds."

The rest of the group had made its way up the front walk to the house and had almost reached them when Angel stepped fully inside. When Spike saw that, he shoved his way to the front of the pack and was at the door almost before Corinna had time to issue her invitation.

There were a few moments of milling around in Richard's living room, making sure that everyone had some kind of weapon, and determining their order of entry.

They lined up in front of the closet door. Corinna opened it to reveal the shimmering distortion of the portal.

They were ready.

&&&&&&&

Rose stopped backing away from Richard. Not because he stopped advancing on her, but because she was back up against a wall. There was nowhere else for her to go.

"Why are you running away from me, Lily?" Richard asked calmly enough. Only those lights in his eyes were there to proclaim that something was terribly wrong.

"I'm not running anywhere, Richard," Rose replied shakily. Which was, of course, the absolute truth. She hadn't been running, merely evading.

Richard frowned while he worked it out as best he could. He didn't stop moving though. Soon, he had Rose pinned against the wall.

"That's better," he murmured. "I don't know why you insist on playing these games, Lily. Is it because you like to be chased?"

"Why don't we go out tonight, Richard?" Rose asked brightly, seized by a sudden inspiration. Anything, well, almost anything, to get him to take her back through that portal. "We could go dancing, maybe."

"You'd like that, hmm?" Richard pulled her into his arms as if he were going to start dancing with her right there. Then, an image flashed through his mind, seeing her dancing with someone else. Her lovely face lit up with a smile as seen past a bleached blond head and leather-clad shoulders. "Oh no you don't, Lily. Do you think I'm going to let you dance with someone else and leave me again?" He held her so tightly that Rose gave an involuntary squeak of protest. "You're mine, Lily. No one else can have you."

Rose decided that enough was enough. She was going to have to try to fight her way out of this one. She looked up into Richard's mad, mad eyes, smile up at him and drove her knee up sharply into his groin.

Richard's reaction was gratifying to one who had never been involved in a physical confrontation before. With a strangled sound, he crumpled to the floor, holding the injured area, face contorted in pain.

Unfortunately, and Rose knew this, Richard was actually the least of her worries. There was still the matter of Santa to be dealt with, and Rose didn't think he'd be anywhere near as gullible, or as vulnerable as Richard. She turned to survey her surroundings and get her bearings, and found herself eye to eye with Santa.

"Going somewhere, my dear?" the old man inquired, smiling genially at her. The lights were dancing in his eyes too.

&&&&&&

"Good for you, mummy," Ariel said suddenly. She and her twin had been taking turns keeping tabs on their mother.

Alaric immediately joined in the mental rapport. But instead of the unstinting admiration that characterized his sister's features, his expression held overtones of horror.

"What happened?" Lorne was on the sofa with Alaric beside him, while Ariel still nestled in Wesley's lap. They had given up on trying to entertain the children after it had been made plain that they didn't wish to be entertained. Or distracted.

"That had to hurt," Alaric muttered. He still wasn't entirely there, but not completely with Rose either. More sort of straddling either side of the metaphysical abyss.

"That's what daddy told me you're supposed to do when someone gets fresh," Ariel announced. "I can see why, too. It really works."

Both Lorne and Wesley started to open their mouths to ask what was going on when the truth hit home. They both winced. No wonder Alaric had reacted differently than his sister had.

"Er, very good," Wesley said as approvingly as he could. It was a difficult concept for a guy to deal with. "Does that mean that Rose is going to be able to get away?"

Alaric shook his head. "Not by herself. That was just Richard, and he's half human."

"And she doesn't think that she can hurt Santa that way," Ariel added. Her little forehead wrinkled a moment. "Why wouldn't it? Daddy said that there isn't much of anything that can stand up to a knee in the balls."

Wesley winced again, not just at the concept, but at how crudely it was put. It sounded particularly incongruous coming from a seven year old girl in frills and ruffles and currently clutching a rather dilapidated pink teddy bear.

Alaric snickered, then immediately sobered up. "They're there," he said excitedly. "They're finally going to rescue her."

Ariel double-checked his information. "They'd better hurry and get through the portal," she said worriedly.

"Because you want your mom back home?" Lorne asked sympathetically.

Alaric shook his head. "Because Santa's getting mad," he answered.


	23. Ho, Ho, Ho

Ho, Ho, Ho

Santa's fingers were digging painfully into Rose's arm.

"Since its inception, this plan has appeared to be cursed." the old man snarled. "And somehow, all the setbacks seem to be directly attributable to you."

"You can hardly blame the demon's not making an appearance on me," Rose protested. "I did my part. It isn't my fault someone cast the counter-spell first." Rose's free hand suddenly flew to her mouth as she realized she'd said too much. She hadn't intended mentioning the spell to Santa at all.

"Damnation!" Santa's face was purple in an instant. "Who found the sealing spell? I thought I had it well hidden."

"Someone at Wolfram and Hart," Rose murmured evasively. She certainly wasn't going to add fuel to the fire and tell him it was her that found the counter-spell.

"How did you get Lindsey to remove the children?" The old man was genuinely curious. He didn't put much faith in Lindsey's loyalty, but he didn't see him helping the other side, either. Especially not feeling the way he did about Angel.

Rose shrugged. "I just told him to do it," she replied quietly. "After all, I was giving you your sacrifice. You didn't need my children."

"You're very devoted to the precocious little brats, aren't you?" Santa inquired.

"Watch how you speak about my children," Rose warned. She yanked her arm out of the demon's grasp, although it felt like his fingers raked across the bone when she did so.

"So, there's still some fire there, eh?" The old man regarded her thoughtfully. "Normally, I do prefer children, but on this occasion, I believe that I'll..,"

"Keep your bloody hands off my wife," Spike ordered, striding in ahead of everyone else. Naturally. "You all right, babe?"

"Nothing that won't heal," Rose answered him. Her face went blank for a moment. In answer to the quizzical looks, she said, "Just letting the children know you've arrived. They've been asking ever since five minutes after you left."

"We had a few delays," Angel mumbled. He looked at Santa and saw nothing like he expected except for the fact he appeared to be an old man. "Nice touch, having a portal inside someone's house."

"And yet you managed to get in anyway," the elder observed. He hadn't yet seen Corinna, hanging at the back of the group. "Most resourceful."

Richard, groaning, was struggling to his feet. He didn't look like he was ready to start anything yet, though.

"What happened to him?" Gunn wondered.

"He was getting a little too familiar," Rose replied. She didn't elaborate, but her face started taking on a rosy hue.

"Give him the knee, did you?" Spike queried in satisfied tones. "That's my girl." He turned to the old man. "You seem to be having a little trouble dealing with that particular concept. Matter of fact, in the past few days, you've shown a very marked tendency for messing about with what's mine."

The old man clucked his tongue and shook his head sadly. "Poor Spike," he murmured sympathetically. "Once, a shining example of what a monster could be and should aspire to, and now..," He eyed Spike, who was hovering protectively over Rose. "Thoroughly domesticated. Truly a shame."

Spike cocked an eyebrow at him. "I chose this," he declared. "How'd you wind up in a hole in the ground?"

"Enough of this!" the old man roared. "You are in my domain now." A few random bits of stone and dirt jarred loose from the walls and ceiling at his outburst.

"How about not pissing him off?" Gunn suggested. "I'd kind of like to not have to dig myself out of here."

The old man's eyes had been darting here and there, and he finally located the object of his search. "Ah, Corinna, my love. Come here, sweet girl."

"No." It was hard to tell whose expression was more startled, the spider woman's, or the pestilence demon's. Neither one of them had thought she had it in her.

"No?" Santa looked ready to explode. "You dare say no? To me?" Veins stood out on his forehead in sharp relief.

"Why don't you scoot on back out of the line of fire, luv?" Spike suggested, taking Rose's arm and guiding her in the direction he wanted her to go, and never mind her seeming reluctance to do so. And where he wanted her to go was as far away from Santa as possible. The whole time, Spike's eyes never once left the pestilence demon.

"Why the concern, Spike?" the old man asked conversationally. "She's only a human." He frowned at the remembered inconsistencies. Was Rose really only a human?

Spike was actually willing to let that one slide. As exceptional as he knew Rose to be, her past notwithstanding, he didn't want Santa thinking of Rose in any other way. And now it looked like the s.o.b. was thinking about it. Time to distract him.

"The kids don't think much of you." See if he could get the old man's attention on anything other than Rose.

Before Santa could reply, Fred peeked around from behind Gunn and fired an injector dart into the demon's shoulder.

Santa sucked in a pained breath between jagged teeth. "You'll pay for that, little girl," he warned. "I'll suck the marrow from your bones."

"You'll have to get through me first," Angel said, crossing his arms, looking calm, relaxed, and yet, somehow, lethal.

"The infamous Angelus," the old man commented. "How the mighty have fallen. Two of the most dreaded vampires in history, and now you're both..," He waved his hand, as if words failed him. "Pathetic."

"What was in that dart, Fred?" Gunn whispered. Corinna had said that the old man couldn't be poisoned.

"Curare," Fred replied. "It's not a poison, in the conventional sense. Basically, it just relaxes everything to the point where you can't do anything. Including breathe." Fred was watching as her target still stood, apparently unaffected by the drug. "A dose the size I just gave him should bring down a bull elephant."

Santa pulled the dart out of his arm and eyed it curiously, and with a casual gesture, he threw it back at Fred.

Angel caught it, just inches away from where Fred was unable to move quickly enough to get out of the path of the projectile.

"He does seem to have a thing about picking on women," Gunn commented. "Do you think it's because he's afraid to take on a man?"

While the demon was thus distracted, Angel tried the next gambit, which was a spell, which, if performed properly, should cause the subject to evaporate into thin air.

And still, Santa stood.

"That's what I was afraid of," Corinna muttered. "We can't kill him. I'll be stuck here with him forever." Her voice had overtones of hysteria.

"There's got to be a way," Fred declared. But her tones lacked confidence.

Richard had finally recovered enough to become aware of his surroundings. "Lily?" He peered at the assembled group, and saw more people than he expected. He shook his head to clear it. "Lindsey, what are you doing with Angel? And my wife?"

"I'm not with Angel."

"She's not your wife, you barmy git." Lindsey and Spike spoke over each other.

Richard ignored Lindsey and started advancing on Rose. "No more running away, Lily," he crooned softly. "Just you, me, and dad. We'll all be together." He lunged towards her, but never got close. Spike gave him a backhanded swat that sent him staggering back several feet.

"That's my wife," Spike said, standing firmly between Richard and Rose. "Keep your mitts to yourself."

Richard made another lunge, even more feeble than the first. This time, Spike's fist connected with his jaw and Richard slumped to the floor, unconscious.

"Spike..," Rose began, but no one, not even her beloved was really listening to her. They were the rescue party, after all.

Spike, being Spike, waded in with his fists, although he still dearly wished he could have brought along the claymore.

&&&&&&&

"Daddy's beating him up," Alaric stated with satisfaction.

"Beating up whom?" Wesley inquired.

"Santa Claus," Ariel answered with the selfsame smugness that her brother was exhibiting.

"You know," Lorne remarked. "They're probably the only kids in the country who don't connect Santa Claus with Christmas, candy, toys and just generally being spoiled rotten."

"They're spoiled rotten anyway," Wesley pointed out. He turned back to the twins. "Does it look like it's doing any good?"

"No," Alaric muttered disgustedly. "Dad just gave him a roundhouse to the gut, and he didn't even blink."

Both of the adults winced. They knew that if it had been them on the receiving end of that, they'd be on the ground and defenseless.

The Q'xlzr demon emerged from the kitchen with a mug in each hand, which it pressed on the children. A quick whiff was enough to tell what the mugs contained. Blood.

"You be drinking this," the demon directed the twins firmly. Its orange eyes held more expression that most people were used to seeing. "Drink all, then I be giving candy."

Wesley and Lorne exchanged a look. And came to the same conclusion. What Rose didn't know wouldn't hurt them or the little blue gray demon.

&&&&&&&

Santa stood quietly and just let Spike wear himself out pounding on him for a while. Then, he backhanded him as negligently as Spike had done with Richard. With similar results. Spike went sailing through the air to crash into a wall.

"Well, we know that doesn't work," Gunn remarked. He and Angel shared a look which said that neither of them minded seeing Spike get the stuffings knocked out of him. At least, as long as no lasting damage was done.

Rose caught Spike's arm in a death grip before he could dive headlong back into the fray.

"That's not going to work, darling," she said softly. "In fact, right now, I think there's only one thing that will."

"What's that?" Spike asked suspiciously. His eyes almost bugged out as Rose began to glow faintly. "Rose? What's going on?" His voice had an edge of panic to it.

Rose smiled at him lovingly. "It's just a temporary re-instatement, darling, that's all." She could tell from whence his fears stemmed, and made haste to soothe them down.

Everyone was looking at Rose in amazement.

"Well, I'll be..," Gunn began.

"Damned," Angel finished for him.

"I can't believe that I'm actually seeing this," Fred commented excitedly. "And without any equipment to record it."

"Does this have something to do with her having 'friends in high places'?" Lindsey asked softly. His eyes were riveted to the scene as were everyone else's.

Lindsey's remark put the last piece in place for her, and Corinna said quietly, "So that's it. I wonder if she..," What she wondered got lost in the moment, though. Rose and Santa were the focus of attention.

"What are you?" the old man demanded hoarsely. For the first time, he sounded less than sure of himself.

"You haven't figured it out yet?" Rose asked, ever so sweetly. "You didn't used to be so slow on the uptake. A few thousand years ago you'd have known me on sight."

"A few thousand?" Santa was looking distinctly unwell. It did nothing for his composure to see all his adversaries looking extremely relaxed at the thought of letting this slip of a girl handle things. Then, the pieces clicked into place for him as well. "No, you can't interfere directly. You're not allowed."

"Who is to deny us?" Rose's voice sounded different now, as though it were several people, all talking in perfect unison. "Enough of this. We have decided that you have polluted the earth with your presence long enough." She raised a hand, and the old man started to diminish in size.

"No, please!" the demon pleaded wildly. "Anything that you want that I can possibly provide is yours, if you just let me live."

"What could you conceivably give me that I cannot obtain on my own?" Rose shook her head almost pityingly. "Do try to go out with at least a modicum of dignity."

"He doesn't deserve it," Corinnna muttered under her breath. "I just do wish that she'd get on with it."

Lindsey stared, goggle-eyed. He still didn't entirely have Rose figured out, but this performance was definitely shoring up a few of his suspicions. If he didn't have her number now, he was pretty sure that he at least had the area code.

At last, Santa dwindled away to nothing. Rose turned away from where he'd been, dusting off her hands as though she'd just been dong dirty, menial work. Then, she threw herself on Spike.

&&&&&&&

"What's happening?" Wesley demanded impatiently.

"Mummy made him go away." Ariel's voice was little more than a whisper.

"Go away?" Wesley wanted more details.

"He just got smaller and smaller," Alaric elaborated. "Until there was nothing left."

"Rosebud did that?" Lorne didn't sound awed, as the children did, but rather, shocked.

The Q'xlzr demon suddenly started looking guilty. Like everyone else, it knew Rose's views in regards to stuffing her kids with candy. It gave Lorne and Wes a pleading look, insomuch as anyone could tell. "No be telling Rose I give offspring candy?"

&&&&&&&&

"I'm not in any way injured, darling," Rose pointed out.

"Glad to hear it, babe," Spike replied evenly.

"So there's really no need for you to carry me like a baby," Rose added.

"Just making sure that you're not going anywhere without me, luv," Spike answered. He gave her a squeeze that nearly cracked her ribs. "Sorry, pet."

"What are we going to do with him?" Gunn cocked his thumb at Lindsey.

"Good question," Angel said thoughtfully. "I'm not sure I have an answer, though. Maybe we should just throw him in a holding cell until I've got it figured out."

Oz had been silent for some time. There hadn't really been much of anything for him to do, but he was grateful for being treated like one of the gang. "What do you intend to do about Richard?" he asked quietly. He'd been rather overlooked, being unconscious.

"Bring him up to the house," Angel directed. "I'll send someone over here to de-spell that portal."

"And then..," Fred prompted.

"Then, all he'll have to do is talk to someone," Gunn remarked. "All it's going to take is one person hearing him claim that Santa is his dad, and he'll be locked in a nice padded room." He shook his head, but couldn't hide a grin. "So much for the state senate."

"I think I can deal with that," Angel agreed. He looked at his grandchilde and saw that Spike was too wrapped up in Rose to have heard. Or demand stronger measures be taken against Richard.

"What about me?" The voice was soft, small-sounding, unlike Corinna's usual confident if sultry tones.

"Put me down, love," Rose ordered Spike gently. And because something in her voice said that it was important, Spike complied.

Rose walked straight up to Corinna and looked up into her eyes. Eyes that were fighting to go back to the way they were when she was in her arachnid state. "Oh no you don't," Rose said warningly. She reached up and touched the spider woman's cheek, and her eyes returned to normal. "I'm not talking to a spider."

"Don't think you could," Spike put in with a smirk, thinking of all the times he'd had to rescue his wife from the object of her phobia.

"Hush, darling," Rose admonished. "What do you want, Corinna? I owe you for my daughter's life, and mine. And we all owe you for preventing the opening of a new hellmouth. So, what do you want? Your closest heart's desire."

"I want to go on being like this," Corinna muttered, eyes on her feet. "I used to be human, oh, so long ago. He took that from me too."

"Agreeable, and doable," Rose decreed. "Would you like to keep the spider available, as it were. In case of need? You would only become one by your own will, not by accident."

"It might prove useful," Corinna conceded. "Especially if I'm allowed to continue working at Wolfram and Hart. I can see where it would be extremely useful."

"So be it, then." Rose glowed again, briefly, and then, so did Corinna. Corinna just stood there, looking awed. But Rose had quite a different expression on her face. One of rapt attention.

"Kids checking up on you, Rose?" Gunn asked, when the silence got too much to bear.

"No," Rose choked out. "My.., other family. Why do you know that until now, I didn't realize that I loved them?" A tear trickled down her cheek, and Spike pulled her into his arms.

&&&&&&&

Their arrival at Spike and Rose's apartment was more than somewhat chaotic. The twins were running amok, greeting everyone enthusiastically. Until they got to their mother, and then, they hung back.

Rose, who wanted nothing more at the moment than to cuddle her babies (no matter how many times the children corrected her, they were still her babies, and probably would be when they were older than a human could ever dream of), was taken aback. And wounded. These were her precious children. What she'd risked herself and countless others for. Why were they acting as if they were afraid of her now?

"They were watching the whole thing through you and the Spikester, blossom," Lorne informed her, correctly interpreting the looks. "It was a bit out of the ordinary, even for them."

The twins were still keeping a cautious distance away. They had known, of course, since they were in the womb, that their mother was one of The Powers That Be. But they had never seen her actually wield any power before.

Spike went and stood behind his children, and wrapped an arm around each. "She's still your mum," he said softly. "She's the same person that changed your nappies and cleaned up your messes and read to you and sang to you. There's no one in this world she loves the way she loves you two. That hasn't changed. It couldn't."

Rose was trying to remain calm, trying to appear non-threatening and completely understanding. But it had been a long, hard day, and this hurt worse than almost anything. A tear trickled down her cheek, rapidly followed by another.

"We're sorry, mummy." The twins descended on her, pulling her down to their level. "We still love you. We'll always love you."

As Spike joined the trio on the floor, everyone else started slowly filing out. There would be time later for a celebration. Right now though, Rose needed to be with her family.

"Corinna?" Angel hung back from the pack to have a private word with her.

"Yes, Angel?" Corinna suddenly felt nervous. Her cover was blown to pieces, not that she needed it now, but he knew that she'd been deceiving him. And while she would like to continue at the law firm, she didn't see it as likely. She figured that he was about to tell her to get lost and never come back.

"I was just thinking," Angel mumbled, realizing that things had gone back to awkward again. "Well, before we were so rudely interrupted." He stopped, shuffled his feet for a moment, then forced himself to look at her. "Do you want to finish our date?"

Corinna smiled delightedly. "I'd love to," she purred. "Remind me. Where were we?"

"Here, I think." The rest had given up on waiting on them and had gone their own ways, so it was just the two of them as Angel took her in his arms and kissed her.


End file.
